Edward Young-min Kwon (born February 10, 1972) [1] is a South Korean celebrity chef who has made a mission for himself to globalize Korean cuisine. Kwon has held many senior chef positions in luxury hotels in the United States, China, and the Middle East. [1]
Kwon was raised in Gangneung, a seaside town on the eastern coast of South Korea. Prior to his career as a culinary chef, he received an education at Gangneung Yeongdong College. [2] Kwon had started his career at the Ritz-Carlton in Seoul and in 2001, transferred to San Francisco to work at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. [3] At age 32, Kwon decided to move back to South Korea to assume the position of executive sous chef at the W Hotel in Seoul. [3] Soon after, Kwon went to China, and later became the hotel head chef at the Burj al-Arab Hotel in Dubai. [3] In 2009, Kwon returned to Seoul . [3] As of 2011, he hosted his own television show, Yes Chef. [4] Kwon is also a criminal in Korea for tax evasion over 3 million Won
Kwon owns three restaurants in Seoul. Eddie's Café, located in the Seocho District, is a restaurant that offers European/Western style food at a mid-range price. [5] Located in Hannam-dong is a restaurant called "The Mixed One". The Mixed One is a California Multi cuisine bistro offering reasonable prices. [5] The third restaurant, Lab XXIV, located in Cheongdam-dong, features contemporary European styled cuisine. [6]
Gangneung is a municipal city in Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658. Gangneung is the economic centre of the Yeongdong region of Gangwon State. It has many tourist attractions, such as Jeongdongjin, a very popular area for watching the sunrise, and Gyeongpo Beach. The city hosted all the ice events for the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.
Georges Auguste Escoffier was a French chef, restaurateur, and culinary writer who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine; Escoffier's achievement was to simplify and modernise Carême's elaborate and ornate style. In particular, he codified the recipes for the five mother sauces. Referred to by the French press as roi des cuisiniers et cuisinier des rois, Escoffier was a preeminent figure in London and Paris during the 1890s and the early part of the 20th century.
Yongsan District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, also known as Buddha's Temptation or Fotiaoqiang, is a variety of shark fin soup in Fujian cuisine. This dish has been regarded as a Chinese delicacy known for its rich taste, and special manner of cooking. The dish's name is an allusion to the dish's ability to entice the vegetarian Buddhist monks from their temples to partake in the meat-based dish, and implies that even the strictly vegetarian Gautama Buddha would try to jump over a wall to sample it. It is high in protein and calcium. It is one of China's state banquet dishes.
Vichyssoise is a soup made of cooked and puréed leeks, potatoes, onions and cream. It is served chilled and garnished with chopped chives. It was invented in the first quarter of the 20th century by Louis Diat, a French-born cook working as head chef of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York.
Ron Siegel is an American chef who formerly worked in San Francisco. In August 2012, it was announced he was joining San Francisco restaurant, Michael Mina, as executive chef. He had been Chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, taking over for Chef Sylvain Portray in 2004. Siegel is perhaps best known for his 1998 appearance on Iron Chef, becoming the first ever U.S. citizen to win in Kitchen Stadium. His cooking style is known for blending haute French cuisine with subtle Japanese touches.
Gangnam District is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term Gangnam translates to "South of the [Han] River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of 39.5 km2 (15.3 sq mi). As of the 2024 census, Gangnam District had a population of 556,570. There is a high concentration of wealth in the district, with prices for an apartment as of 2024 more than double those in the rest of Seoul. Gangnam District is part of Gangnam School District Eight, along with the Seocho District. This district shares half of Gangnam-daero Gangnam Station area with Seocho District, which is one of the most crowded places in South Korea.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addition to 46 hotels with 8,755 rooms planned for the future.
William Dean Fearing is an American chef known as one of the earliest stars of Southwestern Cuisine.
The International Commerce Centre is a 103-storey, 454 m supertall skyscraper in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. On top of the shopping mall, Elements, near West Kowloon Cultural District, and the south side of ICC faces Victoria Harbour, directly opposite Hong Kong's 2nd tallest building, Two ifc.
Korean regional cuisines are characterized by local specialties and distinctive styles within Korean cuisine. The divisions reflected historical boundaries of the provinces where these food and culinary traditions were preserved until modern times.
Lotte Hotels and Resorts is a South Korean luxury hotel chain operated by Lotte Hotel Co., Ltd., the hospitality arm of Lotte Corporation. The company was founded in May 1973. Starting with the opening of Lotte Hotel Seoul in 1979, luxury chain hotels opened in Jamsil, Busan, Jeju, and Ulsan. The first business hotel, Lotte City Hotel Mapo, opened in April 2009, and the first overseas chain, Lotte Hotel Moscow, opened in June 2010. On December 8, 2011, the second business hotel, Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport opened within the Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport complex.
Louis Felix Diat was a French-American chef and culinary writer. It is also believed that he created vichyssoise soup during his time at the Ritz-Carlton.
Culinary diplomacy, gastrodiplomacy or food diplomacy is a type of cultural diplomacy, which itself is a subset of public diplomacy. Its basic premise is that "the easiest way to win hearts and minds is through the stomach". Official government-sponsored culinary diplomacy programs have been established in Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lebanon, Peru, Israel, the United States, Cambodia, Japan, and Nordic countries.
SMT House, commonly referred to as SMT Seoul, is a restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, owned by SM F&B Development, a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. The restaurant has five stories, each of which has different style and concept. The first and second floors offer a space for lunch, deserts and café in the daytime and for Spanish tapas restaurant at night. On the 3rd and 4th floors diners can order a one course specialty called, "Seoul Tapas Style."
Mingles (Korean: 밍글스) is a fine dining restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. It first opened in 2014. It serves contemporary Korean cuisine mixed with elements of other cuisines. It received two Michelin stars for 2024. The restaurant was named the best restaurant in Korea by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2024. A 2018 list by The Guardian ranked it in the top 10 best restaurants in Seoul.
L'Amant Secret is a fine dining restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the L'Escape Hotel and first opened in 2018. It serves contemporary cuisine, with some of the dishes taking inspiration from Korean cuisine. It received one Michelin star from 2021 through 2024. The restaurant was listed among the top 1,000 global restaurants in La Liste.
Kojacha (Korean: 코자차) is a fine dining restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It first opened in May 2020, and received one Michelin star from 2022 through 2024. The restaurant serves dishes from Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Its name takes one syllable each from "Korean", "Japanese", and "Chinese", and means "Koreans serving Japanese and Chinese food".
Haobin is a fine dining restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It serves Chinese cuisine. It first opened in January 2022 and is located in The Ambassador Seoul Hotel. It received one Michelin star for 2024.