Chef who makes birthday dinner for singles
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Cha Hae-young
By Kim Se-jeong
Wooya Restaurant is not an ordinary restaurant.
Located in a residential quarter of Yeonnam-dong, Mapo district, the restaurant has only a single table with a tiny kitchen. It has no sign outside.
It is a project for Cha Hae-young, 30, who lives there. This is her home, and she cooks for single who eat alone on their birthdays.
“For those who live alone, cooking is a rare thing to do and their birthdays are no exception. But cooking is so important for your health and mental wellbeing, and it is a way to love yourself.” Cha said. “I want single people to eat well, at least on their birthdays.”
Her fee is very modest ― mostly 10,000 won, and she invites the client to her restaurant. “I only charge for ingredients.”
The project began about two years ago, and the most recent meal she prepared was one in August. “It was my birthday. I invited people with birthdays in August. It was a great party.”
Not all her clients are single, though.
In February, she had a request from a man who wanted to have a birthday meal for his wife. “He had to go on a business trip and wanted to help his wife celebrate her birthday with her dog.” The client offered 50,000 won for a grand meal, and Cha cooked salmon, chicken and other delicacies. “His wife enjoyed the food a lot. What made her happiest, though, was that she could come with her dog,” Cha said.
Inspiration for the project was her personal initiative so she could enjoy her life more.
A birthday dinner Cha Hae-young prepared for a client’s wife in February this year / Courtesy of Cha Hae-young
“In 2014, I was unemployed. I realized I was so worn out and had no time to spend with my friends. I like cooking a lot and decided to invite them, one by one, for a meal. We ate and talked for long hours,” she said. “One friend asked me to cook seaweed soup and grilled fish. I did it and when she arrived, she said it was her birthday.” That hit Cha hard. “I didn’t know it was her birthday and it struck me that without me she would have not cooked at all. A person’s birthday is a significant day for them.”
She isn’t after money. She does a couple of odd jobs that help her pay her bills. “I am happy because this is what I want to do. I need money to survive, but something will come.”
She has a couple of sideline projects that she’s working on right now.
She has a cooking show on AfreecaTV, online TV.
She also cooks for a group of women in collaboration with a local NGO in Mapo.
“Mothers are caregivers. But they don’t have time to care for themselves. When they want to eat something, they end up cooking dishes that their children like. I want them to eat what they like.” She cooked beef steak for them.
Soon, she will cook for the childcare center workers. “Likewise, they are busy taking care of others but they have little time to do things they like and eat what they want.”
Visit wooyacook.tistory.com or follow her on Twitter at @wooyacook for more information.