New York Times, Seoul's only Michelin three-star chef, Ahn Sung-jae, spotlights

The New York Times, a leading U.S. newspaper, posted a lengthy article on its website introducing Ahn Sung-jae, the only Michelin three-star chef in Korea.

The New York Times introduced the story of chef Ahn Sung-jae, who chose to live as a chef after immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 13, fighting as a U.S. soldier in Iraq, working as a dishwasher, and paying for a cooking school.

Ahn Sung-jae joined the U.S. Army after a poor childhood, and was dispatched to the Iraq War and worked as a mechanic.

After being discharged from the military, he entered culinary school at the age of 24, and after graduating, he knocked on the door of a famous Japanese restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, saying he would work unpaid and learn how to cook, and began his career by cleaning plates.

Chef Ahn Sung-jae learned a lot there, but he was uncomfortable because he thought that guests would see him as Japanese, not Korean, and "felt like imitating someone other than me."

It was then able to open a restaurant in San Francisco in 2016, and the store won one Michelin star in its first year.

However, when Chef Ahn decided to go to Korea after closing the store the following year, he recalled the time, saying, "People said I was crazy."

Chef Ahn's restaurant "Mosu," which opened in Seoul in 2017, was a huge success, acquiring one Michelin star in 2019 and two Michelin stars in 2020, and emerging as the only Michelin three-star restaurant in Korea in 2023.

He also became famous after appearing on Netflix's cooking show "Black and White Cook" as a judge.

The New York Times said, "It was in my home country that Chef Ahn's American dream was ultimately realized," adding, "With Chef Ahn's departure, Korea has transformed into a world powerhouse in music, art, television, and food."