Gwangjang Market stall vendor raises Four Seasons chef
By Kang Seung-woo
Cho Yoon-sun, 58, has shown up to her stall at Gwangjang Market every single day for more than a decade to cook kalguksu, or knife-cut noodles, to support her family which was once deep in debt.
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| Cho Yoon-sun, front, and Lee Soo-hwan / Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul |
"Thanks to help from my in-laws, I was able to open a stall there in 2007. Although I was a stay-at-home mother at the time, I had no other choice."
On the back of his mother's sacrifice, her youngest son Lee Soo-hwan, three years ago fulfilled his long-cherished dream of becoming a chef at a global hotel chain in Seoul.
"When I was in high school, I was having a tough time deciding on my career and she advised me to pursue a career in the culinary industry," Lee said, adding Cho precisely understood his aptitude along with foresight in the industry.
Currently, chef is one of the most coveted jobs in Korea, but at that time there was little sign that the job would reach the current level of public interest.
"I believed chefs would be treated better in the future, but never expected they would gain as much popularity as now, either," Cho said.
"As Lee showed a lot of interest in cooking, I recommended him to pursue a culinary career."
Now, Lee, 29, works as a BBQ chef at Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul and he attributes what he's become to his mother's dedication and hard work.
"I have never seen anyone work as hard as she does," he said. "In addition, she always smiles and is kind to her staff."
While her son is enjoying his career as a successful chef thanks to his mother's devotion, her sacrifice seems to be paying off for her, too.
Late last month, she starred in Netflix's "Street Food Asia Seoul" ― one of the global media service provider's new food documentary series.
"I was surprised to see many foreigners ― in particular, tourists visiting Seoul ― coming and talking about the program," she said.
Thanks to the program, Cho was also able to visit her son's kitchen and see him cooking for the first time.
"I am so proud to see he's exceeded my expectations by working at such an impressive hotel," she said.
As a senior chef, Cho gave her son some advice.
"There are many great and experienced chefs at the hotel, so he needs to show respect and learn from them as much as possible," she said.
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