Haevichi Hotel & Resort Opens Food and Beverage R&D Center 'Spatula'

Haevichi Hotel & Resort, 'Spatula'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] Haevichi Hotel & Resort announced on the 8th that it has opened a food and beverage research and development (R&D) center called 'Spatula' in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.

Haevichi explained, "Since 2014, we have operated a food and beverage research department called 'Food Lab' within Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju," adding, "We expanded and relocated it to establish 'Spatula,' which leads the company's overall food and beverage research and development."

The hotel stated that the existing Food Lab focused on researching ingredients by visiting local ingredient production areas, regional agricultural and marine product markets, and renowned chefs both domestically and internationally, as well as developing new menus and cooking methods and studying gourmet trends. Based on this, Haevichi was able to apply new menus, standardize recipes, conduct regular menu inspections, and provide staff training at food and beverage outlets within hotels and golf courses it operates, thereby maintaining consistent food and beverage quality. The Food Lab also played a key role in the successful opening of new restaurants in Seoul since 2018, including the Western restaurant 'Michael by Haevichi,' Korean restaurant 'Suwun,' Chinese restaurant 'Jungsim,' and Japanese restaurant 'Sushi Mer.'

'Spatula' was established by relocating the Food Lab to Seoul and is arranged across the basement first floor to the ground first floor, featuring an R&D room, shared kitchen, aging and fermentation room, pop-up restaurant, and private dining spaces (separate rooms). It is designed to allow experimentation and research in all cuisines including Korean, Chinese, Western, and baking. To this end, it is equipped with professional kitchen equipment and cooking tools such as Josper grills capable of charcoal grilling and smoking, a Napoli-style authentic pizza oven by the world-renowned oven manufacturer Stefano Ferrara, and a slicer from the century-old Berkel company.

The basement first floor kitchen is designed with an 'eco-friendly kitchen' concept, consisting mostly of electronic devices to minimize carbon emissions. The hotel also aims to minimize food waste and use byproducts as natural compost for vegetable gardens, where crops grown are then reused as ingredients, promoting a 'virtuous cycle of the environment.'

At Spatula, the food and beverage research and development previously conducted at Food Lab will continue, with the addition of aging and fermentation research for deeper studies. Various initiatives will also be undertaken to communicate closely with the general public and gourmet industry professionals through collaborations, cooking classes, kitchen rentals, and restaurant rentals. The hotel stated, "We plan to operate a pop-up style restaurant that offers menus developed here to the public for a limited time, providing a new form of gourmet experience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.