Meet Lynn Hobart | Chef and Owner of Seol Ah’s Food Truck and Catering Services

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynn Hobart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynn, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind my business was to bring some of my korean culture and food to the Charleston food scene. Specifically, a korean street food that is also nostalgic to my NY roots and home. I saw this opportunity and calling to diversify Charleston and create a business that I can also support myself and my daughter with. My thoughts around korean corn dogs sparked during covid. I had a lot of days stuck inside being a brand new mom filled with fears, but also grateful just to be healthy and have the down time to think a lot. Many events happened and Seol Ah’s was not officially tested until the fall of 2021. However, I truly believe that without the hardship of covid and giving birth to my daughter during that time the idea of my business may not have unfolded the way that it did.

I remember my thoughts on the day of my first pop up at Charleston Fermentory. I questioned if I was prepared enough. There were definitely some bumps, but the one major thing I noticed was the demand for the korean corn dogs. I could not believe it. People were coming from everywhere. I knew I had to keep going. So many of my thoughts in the current day for Seol Ah’s is really scaling, hiring, and helping other people.

What should our readers know about your business?
I believe what sets me apart from other businesses is how personable I am. I truly try to connect to each and every person. I will go above and beyond to give an amazing experience and gain a friend, not just a customer. In fact most of my friends here in Charleston started as customers who came to my pop-ups and food truck. I am very proud to be the first and only business in South Carolina that sells korean corn dogs. I am also proud that I taught myself how to make them because it was not easy. I am one of the few female chefs/food truck owners here in Charleston, on top of being asian I am somewhat of a unicorn here.

The road has had many bumps along the way. I worked tirelessly for many years building my first and other business with my daughters father. I moved from NYC to the south to be closer to my family. I had worked in sales management and marketing for almost a decade and I was worn down. I was stuck in this cycle of making good money because I was naturally good at sales, but on the flip side super stressed out from the pressures of the corporate sales world. I needed to find more. Little did I know that doing a farmers market outside of tanger outlets six years ago would now lead me to owning my second business here in Charleston and supporting myself fully from it.

Some lessons I learned along the way were don’t take things personally, the beauty of your story is found within your struggles along the way, and know your numbers and operations/backend. If I had not had a strong sales and marketing background I would not have been nearly as successful. My ability to network and having that ny grit built inside of me has fueled me to thrive even in the face of rejection. I started out of a tent pop-up and spent almost nothing to start. I did not care about having everything look or be perfect. You can’t. I used to come around the table at all the events and go out into the crowd and talk to people and give out samples. I handed out flyers to every store at the tanger outlet. I did things that people would laugh at. But I never cared I just kept going.

I want the world to know that Seol Ah’s is more than just your average food truck/caterer. It is an experience and connection made through food that brings everyone together. Seol Ah’s is now offering private cooking classes for 2024. Korean inspired charcuterie bento box making classes. People will learn how to make korean corn dogs and create beautiful charcuterie bento boxes with korean fusion foods inside. I am even offering soju pairings at some venues. The future looks bright for me and my daughter and I could not be more grateful and humble.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would first take them to chubby fish for our first dinner and if sushi-wa was available I would snag a reservation for that. Shiki would be a lunch date. It would not be a perfect trip to Charleston without checking out isle of palms or folly beach. The market on meeting street, a farmers market on one of the islands, visiting a few of my favorite local food trucks, and riding bikes down by the battery. If I was feeling really energetic maybe one night on King Street, maybe. But home at midnight because after that I turn into a pumpkin.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give my first and biggest shout-out to my daughter Namiko. She has been my rock, my biggest cheerleader, and has taught me more about myself than anything else in my lifetime has. I also have to shout out the entire Charleston community and food and bev peeps who have supported and helped me over the years. I truly believe everything you do in life comes full circle so I try my best to help anyone new in the Charleston food scene with their businesses. Success is defined as how many people you can help. I will never forget the first farmers market I did as my first business/food concept (South Philly Steaks), and Charleston Pops a local popsicle business took their time to explain to me everything they knew about licensing, giving me other business connections, and just overall good business advice. That is what life is about and I was so inspired by them.

Website: seolahs.com

Instagram: seol_ahs

Facebook: Seol Ah’s Gourmet Korean Corn Dogs and More