Apprenticeships in the West – From Aquavit to Akelarre |Jungsik Yim restaurants trained, Aquavit, Bouley | Zuberoa, Akelarre, Korean chef Western techniques| The Man Who Brought Korean Cuisine to the World Stage |Founder of Jungsik & SEA Manhattan

In 2011, Yim did something stupendous. He built a special Korean restaurant in New York City called Jungsik New York. It was in an upscale part of Tribeca. He wanted to show people that Korean food could be very fancy, not simply items including Korean BBQ and bibimbap that people already knew. This was a really important thing because he was from Asia and wanted to be famous for his cooking in America where they didn’t usually eat food such as this.

Yim had to work really hard to make his restaurant good. He crafted foods that were an amalgam of fun and upscale, such as octopus with gochujang, sea urchin bibimbap, and crispy pork belly with jang. People who write about food for their job loved it! They thought Yim’s restaurant was amazing, and in 2013, he got a Michelin star. A year later, he even got another one!

That means his Korean restaurant was the first in America to get two bright Michelin stars! A large quantity of things happened because Yim didn’t give up. Even when the idea of upscale Korean food was introduced, people raised their eyebrows, yet he persevered. There were some small mix-ups along the way—like little mistakes and surprises—but he didn’t stop.

Finally, in 2024, his restaurant became the first Korean location outside Korea to get something unfathomably special: three full awards from a famous restaurant guide. It’s virtually the biggest golden star you could get for making very delicious food. Other Korean food lovers from all over thought it was great! It wasn’t simply for Chef

Founding Jungsik Seoul – The Birth of “New Korean Cuisine” |Jungsik Seoul restaurant, Korean fine dining innovation, modern Korean cuisine, Michelin Seoul

Yim but for everyone who adored Korean food. It showed that, no matter where you come from, you can construct something beautiful with a large quantity of layers of effort–thoughtful planning about how to make food taste great (that’s called concerning tonal adjustment)–and a doom-or-gloom type of thinking about what could happen (they call it contingent arrangement).

The people writing about food couldn’t stop pointing out his restaurant! strong tough cooking focus he learned, you could name them calculated qualifications — virtually a stamp on a card that says, I can cook this!

Even more, Yim thought new ideas about food were exceptionally positive. It’s similar to when you have to condemn to save — like using a less than perfect apple to produce amazing apple pie. But he didn’t simply toss things away–he mixed old and new to create something amazing with food! Mister Yim came up with New Korean food, which was a wonderful way of thinking about Korean dishes with a twist.

And he didn’t keep it a secret — he learned more at restaurants such as Aquavit, Bouley, Zuberoa, and Akelarre. That’s where he got very good at mixing Korean cooking with things people do in the West. Neat. Yim learned how to cook different kinds of upscale food from around the world. Mister Yim cooked in great places in America and Europe, such as in New York City with Marcus Samuelsson and in France with another chef, David Bouley.

The Three-Star Milestone – Michelin History in 2024 |3 Michelin star Korean restaurant, Jungsik Michelin 3 stars, Korean chef milestone

In 2024, Chef Jungsik Yim made history.

Yim did really well at making yummy and nice-looking plates. Then he went to Spain and learned even fancier cooking at two amazing restaurants called Zuberoa and Akelarre. After learning all of the previously mentioned, Yim went back home to South Korea in 2009 because he had an important job to do: he wanted to show the entire world how wonderful Korean food can be.

He opened Jungsik Seoul in an upscale part of the city with a large amount of money. Yim’s location wasn’t a regular restaurant–it was like calling out loud that Korean food is exceptionally positive. The food Yim made was not what people usually eat in Korea with upscale elements. Mister Yim made classics such as bibimbap fall apart and look different, added twist to kimchi soup, and made short rib plates look like art.

This made eating very enjoyable and different for people, and they really liked it! Yim said let’s name this neat way of cooking New Korean, which means keeping the great taste of Korean food but making it with tricks and beauty that he learned in Europe. People from Korea and even from other countries were amazed and started conversing about Jungsik Seoul and Yim’s amazing cooking.

His acceptable cooking ideas became famous for changing how people see food from everywhere. Now, what are those specific sentences centered on?

– Yim went for his understanding of a totality in cooking upscale food, learning from others at significant-name places.

– He always wanted to keep the dignity of the truth about Korean flavors, even when he gave them a fresh look.

– Yim’s ideas about food were unsimplistic, even for a 5th grader. Mister Yim thought deeply about cooking and flavors. If something Yim produced tasted strange, he’d try concerning tonal adjustment in how it got ready, like music notes but with food. — it was a culinary statement.

Expansion to the United States – Jungsik New York in TriBeCa

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At a time when traditional Korean food dominated fine dining, Yim’s menu shocked and delighted diners. Dishes like a deconstructed bibimbap, kimchi consommé, and artfully plated galbi broke conventions and ushered in a bold new era.

Yim coined the term “New Korean” to define this movement — a cuisine that preserves the soul of Korean flavors while adopting modern techniques, textures, and aesthetics found in European fine dining.

The response was electric. Both local and international food critics began to take notice. What began as an ambitious experiment soon turned into a beacon for global culinary innovation.

Expansion to the United States – Jungsik New York in TriBeCa

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In 2011, emboldened by the success in Seoul, Yim expanded internationally — this time to the culinary mecca of New York City. He opened Jungsik New York in the upscale TriBeCa neighborhood, a rare move for an Asian chef looking to make a mark on the Western fine dining world with Korean cuisine.

James Beard Award – Outstanding Chef 2025

James Beard Award 2025, Korean James Beard winner, Jungsik chef award

Career Milestones at a Glance

Year Milestone

1978 Born in Suwon, South Korea

1999 Discovered cooking during military service

2003 Graduated from CIA, USA

2005-2008 Trained at Aquavit, Bouley, Zuberoa, Akelarre

2009 Opened Jungsik Seoul

2011 Launched Jungsik New York

2013-14 Earned 2 Michelin stars in NY

2018 Seoul location received 2 Michelin stars

2024 Jungsik NY awarded 3 Michelin stars

2025 Won James Beard Outstanding Chef

2024 Opened SEA in Manhattan

Chef Jungsik Yim’s Journey – A Culinary Dream Realized

Chef Jungsik Yim’s story begins not in a bustling kitchen or a family-run restaurant, but in the unexpected environment of military service in South Korea. It was there, in the humblest of kitchens, that he first picked up a knife — not knowing it would one day lead him to international stardom. That moment sparked a fire in him, one that led him across continents in pursuit of culinary excellence.

Determined to master his craft, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. From there, he honed his skills in some of the world’s top kitchens, including Aquavit, Bouley, and Spain’s Michelin-starred Zuberoa and Akelarre. But while learning Western techniques, his heart never left Korea.

In 2009, Jungsik returned home and opened his first restaurant in Seoul, boldly fusing traditional Korean flavors with global fine-dining artistry. He called it “New Korean” — and the world took notice. By 2011, he opened Jungsik New York, eventually earning three Michelin stars. In 2025, he became the first Korean chef to win the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef.

Today, Chef Yim’s journey continues — not just as a chef, but as a leader and pioneer who reshaped the way the world experiences Korean cuisine.