Omadaeng CEO Choi Ju-hee Reveals Parenting Talk and Household Tips for Working Mom Raising Four Children

Suyeonine expressed curiosity upon visiting the home of a close friend who raises four children. While usually calling her 'unnie' (older sister), today they anticipated her role as the CEO of Omadaeng. Suyeonine said, "I was so curious about what her house would be like, as my close friend also raises four children, just like our family. Usually, I call her 'unnie,' but today she's the CEO. Hello, CEO."

Omadaeng CEO Choi Ju-hee introduced herself as a working mom who lives in the same neighborhood as Suyeonine and also raises four children. She expressed her pleasure, stating that she operates Omadaeng, a snack franchise. CEO Choi Ju-hee said, "I live in the same neighborhood as Suyeon, I also raise four children, and I am Choi Ju-hee of Omadaeng, which operates a snack franchise. It's nice to meet you."

CEO Choi Ju-hee mentioned that her children always come out to the living room instead of studying in their rooms, so she decorated the living room to serve as both a study and a playroom. By placing desks in the living room, she created an environment where her children can study comfortably. CEO Choi Ju-hee said, "Even if I give them rooms, the kids don't study in them. They always come out to the living room. So I thought, let's decorate the living room as a study and playroom, and that's why there are desks in the living room."

Suyeonine was surprised to see two refrigerators in CEO Choi Ju-hee's house. CEO Choi Ju-hee corrected, stating that she actually uses a total of three. She had heard that families with growing children who eat a lot tend to have more refrigerators, but she was still surprised to see three in use.

CEO Choi Ju-hee explained the purpose of each refrigerator in detail. The first refrigerator stores snacks and fruits that children like, as well as ready-to-eat fish and meat. This is to ensure children get a balanced intake of protein. The second is used as a kimchi refrigerator for storing kimchi, vegetables, and fresh products. The third refrigerator mainly stores dried seafood, anchovies, kelp, and other ingredients where freshness is important, as well as sauces. She revealed that by separating refrigerators by item, she manages ingredients efficiently.

Omadaeng CEO Choi Ju-hee revealed that the lobster fish cakes were born in Omadaeng's first small 5-pyeong store in Jamsil. While contemplating how to sell delicious and good fish cakes, she came up with the idea of adding lobster. These lobster fish cakes gained great popularity among young children by word of mouth, with people saying, 'Our local fish cake shop puts lobster, not even crab.' At the time, Omadaeng used to put one lobster in daily and offer it as a service to the last customer.

CEO Choi Ju-hee stated that she is from Busan and explained that it is easy to obtain fresh produce there due to the many fish cake factories. Busan fish cakes are characterized by a high surimi content, a thick texture, and freshness. When starting Omadaeng, she made these good fish cakes without MSG, artificial colors, or flour so that children could eat them with peace of mind. She also emphasized that only white fish is used, especially pollock, which is good for children to consume a lot of protein.

CEO Choi Ju-hee pointed out that flour has the disadvantage of easily spreading when exposed to water, and explained that Omadaeng fish cakes solved this problem by using rice flour dough. Thanks to this, the fish cakes maintain their firm texture even after being in water for a long time, become even more delicious when cooked in water, and boast a chewy texture. She added that rice flour dough also aids digestion.

The Omadaeng CEO explained that the secret broth used in stores was made into tteokbokki sauce. In Busan, there is a culture of dipping water tteok in gochujang sauce, so red sauce was also included. The lobster shown in the video is for presentation purposes, and she emphasized that when cooking at home, the same taste as in the store can be enjoyed even without lobster.

The Omadaeng CEO explained that Busan tteokbokki typically features fish cake soup simmering next to tteokbokki and fried snacks. When making tteokbokki, a broth with a lot of fish cakes is poured, and the fish cakes and water tteok from within are used. This makes the taste of Busan tteokbokki distinct, especially the tteok, she emphasized. Omadaeng tteok is made in a traditional mill, then immediately flash-frozen while still warm. When cooking, if boiled directly in water without thawing, the chewy texture of freshly made tteokbokki can be enjoyed.

The Omadaeng CEO said that with three garae-tteok (long rice cakes) and their moisture, combined with the Omadaeng tteokbokki secret sauce that has a fish cake broth base and gochujang, it's delicious on its own. For cooking tips, she recommended putting water and tteok together in cold water and boiling them, then adding fish cakes at a timing according to personal preference. She advised adding the sauce last for better adhesion and consistency, and cooking until it reaches a thick consistency. She suggested using green onions instead of onions or cabbage, as they can release water and dilute the flavor, and added that eggs are an indispensable ingredient given the generous amount of sauce.

The Omadaeng CEO introduced various Omadaeng product lines. The 물앤 꼬지 어묵 종합 탕 (Water & Skewered Fish Cake Assorted Soup) can be eaten on skewers, used as a side dish, or cooked as a soup. Busan Tteokbokki is Omadaeng's signature and best-selling product. She expressed her personal preference for Kimchi Udon Jeon-gol, saying it tastes similar to Tudari Kimchi Fish Cake. She also introduced the popular Tteokkochi product among young children, recommending it as an excellent snack for children during the upcoming school holidays.

Suyeonine tasted the water tteok and exclaimed that the fish cake broth flavor was already infused, and dipping it in gochujang sauce made it truly amazing. She emphasized that dipping it in gochujang sauce is a real delicacy and recommended always eating water tteok with gochujang sauce.

CEO Choi Ju-hee revealed that she started the Omadaeng business after having her third child. She didn't start Omadaeng from the beginning; she had experience selling various products from her husband's company to acquaintances in a group-purchase format. When the response was good, she realized she had sales ability and decided to open a small store to start Omadaeng. She started without significant costs, but as more and more people came, she hired staff, sold packaged products, and expanded her business.

The Omadaeng CEO explained the brand name 'Omadaeng.' She revealed that it takes the 'O' from 'Omma' (mom) to mean 'fish cakes given by mom.' This name reflects Omadaeng's philosophy of providing healthy and delicious snacks to children with a mother's heart, beyond simply selling products.

CEO Choi Ju-hee confessed that she felt a great sense of guilt towards her second and third children. When raising her first child, everything was new and she was very cautious, but with the second child, she approached parenting based on her experience with the first, rather than the child's personality. However, she later realized that the second child had a very different personality from the first, and she regretted not having fostered their individuality when they were young. She added that she felt another kind of guilt towards her third child, as she couldn't simply dote on them after the youngest was born.

It was mentioned that Omadaeng jumeokbap (rice balls) are most popular at her second child's dormitory. It was praised for being very convenient as you just need to heat one up when it's too hot to cook in front of the stove or when you're too lazy to cook. It was also emphasized that since it's made with healthy domestic rice, it's very good as a snack for children.

Omadaeng operates its business with the slogan, 'Children's first regular spot.' CEO Choi Ju-hee said that even in an era where the term 'regular customer' seems meaningless and many stores disappear, she believes that a classic and sincere approach always works. By consistently providing good ingredients and healthy products, they have earned customer trust and proudly claim to be fostering 90,000 child customers.

A special discount event for Omadaeng products has been confirmed at Suyeonine Mall. CEO Choi Ju-hee hoped that many people would experience Omadaeng products for their growing children and for parents facing the upcoming school holidays. Although a 35% discount was initially discussed, a generous 40% discount rate was decided. She emphasized that this offer and price might be a special opportunity that won't be seen again, encouraging purchases.

Suyeonine requested additional individual product discounts for consumers who wish to purchase specific configurations. She explained that in multi-child households, children might fight over specific products, making individual purchase options necessary. The Omadaeng CEO promised to discuss this with the person in charge and resolve it thoroughly.