07/01/2019
Eulogy for Trove
My name is Rachel Yang, a mother of two boys- 2nd grader, Rye and 4th grader, Pike. I am also a mother of four restaurants- Joule, Revel, Revelry and Trove. Trove would have been five years old late this summer but it didn't quite get to have its fifth birthday. Yesterday was its last day.
Trove was one of kind, a very special one. It occupied the beautiful sunlit corner spot of Summit and Pike in Capitol Hill. Always tasty parfait window was nestled in the food truck that was specially salvaged and redesigned by our good friends, Electric Coffin. Bright wok noodle bar, intimate cocktail bar and finally the main dining area with Korean style table top grills got everyone so excited and thrilled.
Trove was more Korean than anyone ever thought of, but different kind of Korean. It was all about sharing a large table with your friends and family cooking your own food, and eating with your hands. Curried rice cake, spicy pork, smoky pad thai, crispy cauliflower, kalbi tri tip, parfaits among many others will go down in our food memory lane. It was my kind of Korean that I will miss cooking and eating it.
Trove was always full of talented and passionate people. It was a place for people to learn and grow. It challenged and pushed people in the ways that we didn't know we were capable of. We all became better cooks and better people.
Dear my Trove, I am so sorry that I had to let you go. I will walk into the space tomorrow and will be puzzled that dishes were put away and chairs were stacked, permanently. I will probably hear woks clicking and smell grills smoking in that empty space.
I have to tell you how I loved you and will miss you. I can tell everyone else that it's fine and there are better things to come in the future, but then I will be just sweeping you under the rug, and you were just too special to be that.
Thank you. It wasn't easy five years but I was so proud to be your mother. Seeing so many people last couple of weeks stopping by, saddened, but letting me know how much Trove meant to them was very sweet. You deserve every bit of it.
Thank you for being part of our family. I can talk about how the end is the new beginning but I won't quite do that yet. Thank you for making our lives so delicious and full. I am a better cook, better person, and better mother because of you.
See you tomorrow.
