Young chef aims to fly high

Chef Kim Eun-bi

By Yun Suh-young

The 25-year old petite chef is not shy about stating her ambitions.

"Before turning 30, I want to publish a book under my name with the title The most successful female chef in Korea," said chef Kim Eun-bi of Grand Hyatt Incheon, after completing a gala dinner for about 70 guests invited by the Spanish Embassy and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

She designed and organized a six-course meal for the event, having recently returned from a six-month training program offered by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment. ICEX’s a Spanish Gastronomy Training Program was created in 2007 in an effort to provide training for young foreign professionals in Spanish gastronomy.

"I participated in the Spanish gastronomy program last year so when I was asked to prepare a dinner course for this event, I wanted to express the Spain I felt in my dishes rather than cooking traditional Spanish dishes," she said in an interview following the March 21 event.

"I tried to reflect the feelings I had about Spain through my dishes and I gave them names reflecting my sentiment, such as Flamenco, La Noche de Mar (the night of the sea), Artichoke of Navarra (a northern region of Spain bordering the Basque region). I thought it might be boring to offer traditional dishes to our Spanish guests today. I wanted to give my own color to the dishes."

Kim has already been with the hotel for three and a half years and has five years of experience as a chef. It was her outstanding performance that got her boss to recommend her for the program. She already holds numerous awards received from noted competitions. She won first prize at the University Cooking Competition in 2011, clinched first place at the Republic of Korea International Cooking Contest in 2012 and was winner of both the Escoffier Cooking Competition of Korea and Escoffier Young Chef Competition of Asia in 2014.

The Spanish gastronomy program allows selected candidates to choose two Michelin-starred restaurants of their choice and one traditional restaurant for training. They are required to learn Spanish as well as cooking and receive lessons on ingredients and Spanish products. The final part of the program is participating in the International Tapas Competition.

"I have always been interested in Spanish cuisine because Spain is a leader in the contemporary culinary scene with numerous Michelin-starred restaurants leading the market," said Kim.

"What I felt the difference between the Korean and Spanish culinary scenes was that Spain had a higher interest in ingredients and they were used creatively to produce various kinds of dishes. In fact, their ingredients had trends which Korea didn't."

The program has become a stepping stone for her future. Having received an accelerated education from top-rated restaurants in Spain, she hopes to extend her experience and career here in Korea.

"I was very lucky to be able to launch my signature dish here at this hotel despite my junior position as a commis (junior chef),” said Kim. “Within five years, when someone asks who the best female chef in Korea is, I hope to hear my name being mentioned.”