Target launches star chef collaborations, starting with Minnesota’s Ann Kim

Pizzas and Korean-inspired flavor pairings found in James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim’s restaurants will be available in Target’s frozen food sections starting Sunday.

The rollout is part of Target’s Good & Gather Collabs, a partnership with various chefs to expand global cuisine offerings, something the retailer found to be in high demand among customers. The series was introduced Tuesday at the Minneapolis-based retailer’s Investors Day in New York City.

Kim is best known for her acclaimed restaurants Young Joni, Pizzeria Lola and Hello Pizza, where she has added unexpected twists to staple American dishes like her Korean BBQ pizza. The frozen food offerings — four limited-edition pizza varieties and three Korean-inspired appetizers — will reach a much wider audience.

The partnership for her is more than just a business move. Growing up as a Korean American in Apple Valley in the late 1970s and 1980s, Kim did not know people who ate like her or who looked like her on products in stores.

“It was a source of great shame,” Kim said. “I threw away my first lunch that my grandmother packed for me in the first grade because I was ostracized for it.”

Kim is eager to introduce different flavors to the new generation of kids and is eager to see how the meals will resonate with families across the country, she said.

“The fact that we have three Korean-inspired appetizers probably means the most to me,” Kim said. “To be able to offer these flavors at almost every Target nationwide is incredibly meaningful.”

And she hopes people who feel othered, like she did growing up, will see themselves in the products.

Kim also said she had a very personal moment when she showed her mother the branded boxes. Her mother has Alzheimer’s disease but recognized her name and face on the boxes.

“She just lit up, and that brought me to tears. It brings me to tears now,” Kim said. “It means a lot to me to be able to continue her legacy.”

Lisa Roath, Target’s chief merchandising officer for food, essentials and beauty, said Kim is “determined to make sure her story comes through in the food she creates.”

Roath said the approachability of the flavors in Kim’s products are important.

“My kids aren’t super adventurous eaters, and if I put kimchi in front of them alone I don’t know if they would have eaten it. But in the form of a dumpling, and in the way that chef Ann does it, they tried something new and loved it,” Roath said.

Target has long been recognized for its successful partnerships in other areas of the store, from home items developed with Joanna Gaines and Studio McGee to fashion partnerships with Lilly Pulitzer and Diane von Furstenberg.

This is the first of that kind in the grocery space. It’s part of Target’s broader strategy to expand its offerings in the private-label space, as Good & Gather continues to gain momentum since its launch in 2019. The brand, which replaced Archer Farms and Simply Balanced, has grown to over 2,000 items and is poised to become Target’s first $4 billion brand.

The products in the Kim-Target partnership are all under $8 and include versions of Young Joni staples like the Perfect Pickle Pie and Tavern Pie. Not only will Kim see a piece of herself in stores nationwide, but so will Minnesotans.

“The pickle pie is a reflection of my love for the Midwest and all things pickled,” Kim said. “I wanted to create a pizza that reminded me of the fried pickles at the Minnesota State Fair —my favorite item.”