By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The most basic ingredient in catering premium quality food is cleanliness. But the truth is, many restaurants underrate its importance, simply believing taste comes first.
The executive chef at the Grand InterContinental Hotel emphasized that this basic principle is what makes a top restaurant, rather than secret recipes for delicious dishes.
``There are now many restaurants everywhere where you can enjoy delicious food,'' Bae Han-chul, executive sous chef at the hotel, said. ``But recipes are shared a lot now. So it's now very important to recognize the importance of hygiene.''
But the veteran chef with more than 30 years experience in the kitchen said it was hard for him to convince even his staff of the importance of this simple principle.
When the hotel and its sister establishment ― the COEX InterContinental Hotel ― introduced a new food safety regulation system in 2003 and strengthened education on hygiene, many chefs felt uncomfortable at first, Bae recalled.
The new regulations cover every small step, beginning with the management of ingredients and ending when guests finish dining.
One of the changes was the introduction of different chopping boards and knives for different kinds of ingredients.
All together five different colored knives and cutting boards are used to prevent contamination between different types of meat, fish, and vegetables ― red for meet, blue for fish and green for fruits and vegetables.
``Rules are quite simple, washing their (chefs) hands, taking good care of hair, nails and everything besides their ingredients and dishes. But these simple rules were not really taken seriously back 30 years ago and it took a long time to have people get used to them,'' Bae said.
But after years of efforts, the restaurants at the two hotels have become the cleanest in town, receiving top awards in the category of hygiene.
The two hotels have been awarded the highest score out of all the luxury hotels globally for food safety management system from an international hygiene evaluation consultant ― JohnsonDiversey.
They also received a quality certification in 2004 from the Total Quality Certification Services International Pty.
To prevent food contamination, Bae suggested that the government strengthen education to enhance the understanding of the importance of hygiene to local restaurants, not merely trying to punish those that violate regulations.
``Punishment doesn't really work. What's important but is now lacking is the government's continual efforts to monitor hygiene conditions of restaurants and lead them to maintain cleanliness in order to improve the situation,'' Bae said.
Even at home, less purchases of foods and consuming them within a certain period of time can improve the safety for a healthy diet, he advised.