The founder of one of the US' largest Korean food franchises has died at the age of 89. His funeral was held in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to local media reports.
Attended by family members and acquaintances, the funeral for BCD Tofu House founder Lee Tae-ro was held at a Korean American church in LA. His wife, Lee Hee-sook, who co-founded the business and built it into a global brand with her signature tofu recipe, died in August 2020.
Born in 1937 in Hamgyeong Province, now part of North Korea, Lee Tae-ro graduated from Seoul National University with a law degree. In 1967, he opened a Hamheung naengmyeon restaurant in Seoul, inspired by the cuisine of his hometown.
He began his US business in 1996 after moving to Los Angeles with his wife for their children’s education.
The couple opened the first BCD Tofu House restaurant on Vermont Avenue in Koreatown, centering the menu on sundubu-jjigae, a spicy soft tofu stew developed from his wife’s closely guarded recipe.
The business later expanded to more than 11 locations across the US, including California, New York and Texas.
Even before Korean culture gained global recognition, the franchise helped introduce Korean cuisine to a broader American audience through its signature dish, sundubu-jjigae, as well as dolsotbab and LA galbi.
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