Cuisine connects

Pierre Sang Boyer's two restaurants, Pierre Sang on Gambey, top, and Pierre Sang in Oberkampf
/ Courtesy of Pierre Sang Boyer

French chef with Korean roots becomes ambassador for both countries

Pierre Sang Boyer

By Yun Suh-young

He doesn't remember clearly, but it was somewhere between ages 12 and 14 that he first tasted Korean food at a Korean restaurant in Lyon, France. And he didn't like it.

Adopted by a French couple at the age of 7, Pierre Sang Boyer, now a hotshot chef in Paris owning two popular restaurants, must have been repressing his memories of Korea, or anything related to it.

"I was young. I was not ready for Korea. With everything, you need time to prepare," said Boyer, recalling his first encounter with Korean cuisine in France, during an interview with The Korea Times upon a recent visit to Seoul.

"My mother took me there probably to help me remember my identity. I didn't like the taste back then."

Riz finale (rice dish)

Kimchi chou-fleur et navets (cauliflower and
radish kimchi)

Sujeonggwa (cinnamon and dried persimmon punch)

Retracing his palate

It was only when he returned to Korea in 2004 in search of his roots that he started accepting Korean food into his life and appreciated its taste. During the visit, he tried to find his birth mother but was unsuccessful due to incorrect information on his adoption papers.

"I think it was like an update. Maybe I started liking Korean food because of my wife," said the 36-year-old chef.

He met his wife Hee-jin while working at a French restaurant, Le Saint-Ex, in Itaewon, a hip foreign district in Seoul, for five months. His wife was working at a restaurant next door owned by the same CEO.

"At the time, I didn't enjoy working but I liked working with ajumma and ajeossi," said Boyer. Ajumma and ajeossi are terms of address for middle-aged women and men. It was that hearty sentiment that made Boyer slowly accept Korea.

Eight years later, in 2012, after working in London for six years and two in Lyon, Boyer opened a restaurant in Paris called "Pierre Sang in Oberkampf," with Oberkampf referring to an area in Paris which, according to Boyer, is "very famous for hanging out, much like Itaewon."

The restaurant featured dishes which mixed Korean elements into French cuisine, such as making kimchi with asparagus or endives and introducing sauces based on gochujang (chili paste) and doenjang (soybean paste) into dishes. There's also bibimbap (mixed rice with vegetables) offered during lunch.

The restaurant became an instant hit with its friendly and casual atmosphere and never-seen-before fusion of French and Korean food which grabbed the palates of fastidious local foodies.

His appearance on the cooking competition show "Top Chef" aired on French television in 2011 and making it into the top three were contributing factors to his success, as he rose to celebrity status. French banks then decided to give him a loan to open his restaurant.

Riding on the restaurant's success and with requests from regular customers asking for a more private restaurant, Boyer opened his second restaurant, "Pierre Sang on Gambey" in 2014, right next to the first. Gambey is the name of the street where the restaurant is located.

"The first is more like a bistro while the second is more gourmet," said Boyer, when asked how the two restaurants differ.

"I always wanted to make my restaurant a bit fusion, mixing both the Korean and French, because I consider myself more Korean than French in Paris," said Boyer.

"When I make food, I put my story on the plate. Inspiration from Korean food is part of my creativity. I want to know more about my birth country and provide a good image of Korea because I'm very proud of that."

Rise of Korean food

He said he was very proud that Korean food is increasingly gaining recognition in France.

"I think it's probably rapper Psy who triggered the interest. French people didn't know where Korea was and many still don't but the influence of Korean pop culture starting from K-pop and Korean films started spilling over to food," he said.

"A French TV channel recently asked me to appear on a program introducing Korean food. Suddenly, the interest in France about Korean food seems to have increased. I see the development of Korean food globally and I'm very happy to see it rise to such fame across the world."

The French chef recently had an opportunity to collaborate with Mingles, one of Seoul's most popular Korean restaurants at the moment, for a culinary event titled "So French Delices" held from March 23 to 26. The event invited famous French chefs to Seoul to create dishes in conjunction with Korean chefs.

"It was very nice working with Mingles," said Boyer. He prepared three dishes of the six-dish dinner course.

"Owner chef Kang Min-goo came to my restaurant in Paris but I didn't know he was that famous at the time. It was great working with him. We have similar philosophies about food although the style is different. He asked me if I wanted to change the menu because he wanted to see new techniques and new dishes."

Boyer believes in the power of cuisine to connect people.

"I say in French, ‘role social de la cuisine' which translates to ‘social role of cuisine.' You can be Christian, Catholic, Muslim but everybody makes food. The first sense we develop when we're young is the taste. When I was first adopted, I tried to connect with my new family through food," he said.

"The only times I saw my family was at meal time. The French tend to eat at home, even at lunch. Because I didn't speak French in the beginning, I tried to commune with them by the food and learn more about my new life. I appreciated the meal time because when you eat, it's always a nice moment. Food provides some sentiment, energy."

The social role of cuisine Boyer advocates was realized last year when he visited Cheong Wa Dae with the French President to meet the Korean President. He recalled it was his most honorable experience.

"I was very happy. I had the chance to explain to the French delegates about Korean food and I felt really proud," he said.

Sweet dream

Boyer believes the opportunity to meet the presidents came as he was both French and Korean. He said he is lucky to be both.

"My birth parents left me to get a chance to go live in France and have a better life. So the story of adoption is not a sad story for me. I was brought up in a very loving French family and I love them a lot," he said.

"I say to people, at the beginning you may have a difficult background, but let's forget that and work hard to change your life. I'm an example of that. I know where I'm from and I'll never forget that. Every day, I try to know more about myself, and I hope one day I can help people like me."

Instead of searching for his birth parents, which he stopped after the unsuccessful attempt, Boyer decided he wanted to help young people with similar experiences.

"Finding my parents? It can happen, but I won't go looking for them. Instead, what I want to do is help children like me, and if they want to learn cooking I want to help them with it because that's what I do best," said Boyer.

"I want to also give opportunities to students in Korea who want to learn French cuisine to come and work with me. I also want to help Korean people know more about France."

He has plans to open a restaurant in Seoul which would also offer cooking classes.

"I want to open a restaurant in Seoul and teach there. We're working on it. It will happen within this year hopefully," he said.