"K-Food Globalization Expansion" CJ CheilJedang Launches Korean Cuisine Chef Training Program
Published 02 May.2023 15:34(KST)
Discovering Promising Chefs Through the 'Cuisine K' Project
Planning to Establish an International Korean Cuisine School
MOU Signed with the Ministry of Agriculture for Talent Development
CJ CheilJedang is launching the ‘Cuisine. K’ project to discover and nurture young Korean cuisine chefs in order to accelerate the global spread of K-Food.
According to CJ CheilJedang on the 2nd, this project will be carried out through five core programs: ▲supporting national representative teams participating in international cooking competitions ▲operating Korean food pop-up restaurants ▲supporting overseas study at renowned culinary schools and establishing Korean cuisine education courses ▲ingredient research classes with Korean cuisine masters and famous chefs ▲and fine dining practice in Korean cuisine. To this end, a dedicated organization was established under the Food Growth Promotion Office, and professional personnel were reinforced.
First, activity expenses, uniforms, and ingredients will be provided to the national representative teams and group teams participating in the ‘2023 Korea International Cooking and Confectionery Competition’ held this month. The national representative team will wear chef uniforms bearing the Taegeuk mark and the ‘Cuisine. K’ logo. In the first half of the year, chefs aspiring to start their own business will be selected and provided with a Korean food menu cooking and sales space at CJ CheilJedang’s innovation hub space ‘InnoPlay’ to support operation for three months.
Additionally, tuition, airfare, and accommodation will be provided so that chefs can study at overseas culinary schools and develop Korean cuisine recipes. The project also plans to establish ‘Korean cuisine education courses’ for foreign chefs at global culinary schools. Furthermore, ingredient research classes will be held where chefs can learn how to utilize ingredients from Korean cuisine masters and famous chefs. Chefs will also have the opportunity to practice fine dining for two months at renowned domestic restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide.
In the long term, there are plans to establish an ‘International Korean Cuisine Specialized School’ where people worldwide can learn Korean cuisine. The goal is to build a Korean cuisine education infrastructure with global competitiveness so that chefs who pass through this school can return to their home countries and act as ambassadors of Korean cuisine. Countries such as France and Italy produce talents through specialized educational institutions to promote their own food cultures.
On the 2nd, at the Cuisine. K launch ceremony held at CJ Human Resources Center in Pildong, Seoul, key executives of CJ CheilJedang, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and related officials, and representatives of the national chef team took a commemorative photo together.
(From top left) Minseok Park, Head of Food Division at CJ CheilJedang; Seonho Lee, Head of Food Growth Promotion Office at CJ CheilJedang; Minister Hwanggeun Jeong of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Eunseok Choi, CEO of CJ CheilJedang; Joopil Yang, Food Industry Policy Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Ji-in Moon, Head of Food and Dining Industry Division.
In this regard, CJ CheilJedang signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the same day to cooperate on the project. The ministry will share technology and information infrastructure to discover and nurture promising young chefs and support program operations.
Choi Eun-seok, CEO of CJ CheilJedang, said, “The role of young chefs is very important for K-Food to reach the pinnacle of global food culture,” adding, “The Cuisine. K project will serve as a catalyst to create a foundation where future talents of Korean cuisine can grow abundantly.”
Lee Seon-ho, head of the Food Growth Promotion Office at CJ CheilJedang, who planned this project, emphasized, “This project is the result of efforts to accelerate the globalization of K-Food,” and added, “We will develop it into the establishment of a Korean cuisine specialized school where people worldwide can learn Korean food culture, similar to Le Cordon Bleu in France, a world-renowned culinary and pastry school.”
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