Young chefs turn seasonal greens into modern comfort food at Seoul Forest

As young urbanites in Korea increasingly navigate the pressures of fast-paced city life dominated by convenience store meals and high-sugar takeout, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is offering a fresh alternative: healthy eating as a vibrant, everyday lifestyle rather than a restrictive chore.

Seoul Forest Park will transform into an open-air culinary playground Sunday for the Youth and Family Healthy Food Picnic. Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. around the park's outdoor stage, the autumn festival invites young residents and their families to discover how seasonal, plant-forward cooking can be both accessible and delicious.

The main event of the afternoon is a high-energy live cooking competition titled "Youth Healthy Table." Ten finalist chefs, selected through a nationwide recipe contest, will take to the stage to transform October's local bounty — including spinach, Napa cabbage, sweet potatoes and wild mushrooms — into creative, balanced dishes. A panel composed of professional chefs and citizen judges will evaluate the entries based on taste, nutrition and originality to select three winning creations. Adding a touch of game-show flair, contestants will compete in quick mini-games on stage to win bonus ingredients for their dishes.

Beyond the competition, the festival features a healthy food market curated and operated entirely by young culinary entrepreneurs. Visitors can sample and purchase plant-based desserts, natural seasonings, balanced wellness beverages and eco-friendly meals.

Interactive booths scattered across the park grounds aim to teach nutritional balance through lighthearted games. Visitors can test their reflexes by catching vegetable models in a speed game, build balanced virtual lunchboxes using giant chopsticks, or race against the clock in a calorie-guessing challenge. Families can also design custom bandanas with vegetable stamps, apply temporary tattoos or snap commemorative photos at an autumn-themed photo booth.

City officials hope the event will encourage young Koreans to make small, sustainable choices in their daily dining habits — such as opting for whole grains, legumes and fresh produce over sugar-heavy processed meals.

"This picnic is designed as a space where young people can cook, sample, and enjoy healthy food on their own terms," said Jo Young-chang, director of Seoul's Citizen Health Bureau. "We hope families will join them at Seoul Forest this autumn to discover that eating well can easily become a joyful part of daily life."

Admission to the festival is free.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.