Korean Alumni Profiles
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At The International Culinary Center, we realize that our international culinary students face unique challenges and often have to work even harder to achieve their goals than other students. Getting used a new place and a new life can be intimidating, but we're here to offer support and help you succeed, in and out of the classroom.
The school's name goes a long way in the culinary and pastry worlds. It's quite common for our faculty to recommend students for positions and to help facilitate introductions. Internships can lead to jobs in the food industry, and top restaurants, catering companies, and hotels will often offer to sponsor students' green cards so they can stay in the country to work. Many of our international students end up returning home, where they open businesses or make significant culinary and pastry arts contributions in their own countries.
The accomplishments of our alumni are a direct reflection of our school. We've seen many successes over the years, and want to continue to help our students excel, no matter what country they end up calling home.
Read on to meet some of our outstanding Korean alumni.
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current city: Edgewater, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2009
My mother ran a successful catering business back in Korea so I was always surrounded by great food. It wasn’t until her death five years ago that I really started cooking and thinking about food in a more serious way. I was studying Economics at the time, but I found myself spending more and more time in the kitchen trying to recreate the food that I missed so much. While I could never replicate her dishes exactly, in time, I came to discover my own passion for cooking. I worked as an interior designer for two years in New York City before deciding to pursue a career in food. I chose The International Culinary Center because of its incredible reputation in the industry. I like what one of my instructors, Chef Pascal, told me one day: When I graduate, I will have skills that I can take with me anywhere in the world. I like that. Right now, I’m interning as a line cook at Momofuku Ssäm Bar. The chef-owner, David Chang, is a Korean-American and also a graduate of the school. He’s very tough, but I have a lot of respect for him. The way he puts ingredients together is pure genius. Eventually, I’d like to open my own restaurant, maybe in Korea or Japan, but for now I want to stay in New York and learn as much as I can from the best that I can.
Hometown: Kyungki-Do, Korea
Current city: New York, NY
Course of study: Classic Pastry Arts
Graduation year: 2009
I have always been a foodie. I love looking at food magazines and checking out all the pastry shops. I have a fondness for desserts in particular because they are so beautiful to look at. But I never baked until I came to International Culinary Center! In comparing various professional pastry programs, I knew I wanted to be in an urban environment where I would have access to top restaurants and I knew I didn’t want to learn in French, which would have been an even greater challenge than English. The International Culinary Center was the perfect fit for me. I’m in school now and I’m having so much fun. I’m also interning at Daniel, one of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants, with pastry chef Dominique Ansel. It’s a little crazy because I work 12-hour shifts, but I’ve never been so happy. There’s never a dull moment in a kitchen.
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current city: Atlanta, Georgia
Course of study: Classic Pastry Arts and Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2004 and 2006
I fell in love with cooking while translating cookbooks from English to Korean for chefs Nobu Matsuhisa and Jamie Oliver. My cooking instructor, one of the first Koreans to graduate from The International Culinary Center, asked me if I wanted to help with the project and I jumped at the chance. Until then, I had been taking classes just for fun but suddenly I wanted to quit college and be like Audrey Hepburn in the movie Sabrina and move to Paris to become a chef! Naturally, my mother thought I was crazy, but she made me a deal. If I promised to finish school first she would support me in my dream. I think she was hoping that I’d change my mind, but of course I didn’t. When my husband was accepted into the PhD program at Yale University, I chose the culinary program at The International Culinary Center. Despite the daily five-hour commute (I had no idea New Haven was so far away!), I knew from the beginning that I had chosen the right school. By the time I graduated, I was exhausted. But I was learning so much that I knew I had to sign up for the Pastry Arts program too. I took some time off, then decided to get an apartment in Manhattan for the next six months so that I could take advantage of internships and other learning opportunities in the city. I’m now in Atlanta, Georgia teaching private cooking classes and working as a food journalist for various Korean-American publications. I love what I do, and I’m so glad I followed my dream.
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current city: Englewood, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management
Graduation year: 2008
I was thinking about pursuing an MBA but it was with the encouragement of my family that I decided to follow my real passion in life—cooking. My mother is a very good cook and I have four older sisters who are always telling me that I have an excellent palate. I had already completed The International Culinary Center’s Restaurant Management course, but I signed up for the six-month Classic Culinary Arts program so I could learn how to cook using French techniques. My dream is to someday open my own French-Asian fusion restaurant in Korea and to eventually start my own restaurant consulting business as well. The restaurant consultants in Korea are all marketing people who don’t have any background in food. With my background, I'll stand out from the crowd.
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current city: New York, NY
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2009
I studied restaurant management in Korea, but I knew I needed to sharpen my cooking skills to be able to one day open my own restaurant. While doing an internship at AIX Brasserie on the Upper West Side, I discovered that many of the cooks were graduates of The International Culinary Center. I could see that they had really good skills so I decided to check out the school for myself. I was really impressed by the professionalism of the program and knew the school was the right fit for me. My family tells me that I sound tired every time I talk to them on the phone, but that’s just because I’m pushing extra hard to learn as much as I can while I’m here. For how serious the program is, I was surprised to discovered how friendly all the chef-instructors are. Here, the relationship between an instructor and a student is far less formal than in Korea. They’re nice. They want you to learn, but they also want you to have a great experience.
Hometown: Bundang, Korea
Current city: Newport, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2004
My sister had been living in Virginia for the last 15 years so my parents insisted that I live with her for six months to get used to American life before coming to New York. It was like training wheels for big city life. I think I would have been fine, but I used that time to take more language classes to ensure that I would make the most out of my culinary education. I had visited several cooking schools in the New York area but I knew right away that The International Culinary Center was for me. It stood out as the most professional of all the programs, and I liked the intensive six-month format. Even though my main interest has always been pastry and baking, I decided to do the Culinary Arts program because I wanted to learn how to cook everything a little better. I’m now the pastry chef at Battery Gardens, a restaurant in Battery Park overlooking the Statue of Liberty. I’m lucky because my employers are sponsoring my work visa so I can stay and work here in this country.
At The International Culinary Center, we realize that our international culinary students face unique challenges and often have to work even harder to achieve their goals than other students. Getting used a new place and a new life can be intimidating, but we're here to offer support and help you succeed, in and out of the classroom.
The school's name goes a long way in the culinary and pastry worlds. It's quite common for our faculty to recommend students for positions and to help facilitate introductions. Internships can lead to jobs in the food industry, and top restaurants, catering companies, and hotels will often offer to sponsor students' green cards so they can stay in the country to work. Many of our international students end up returning home, where they open businesses or make significant culinary and pastry arts contributions in their own countries.
The accomplishments of our alumni are a direct reflection of our school. We've seen many successes over the years, and want to continue to help our students excel, no matter what country they end up calling home.
Read on to meet some of our outstanding Korean alumni.
Yohan Jeon
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current city: Edgewater, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2009
My mother ran a successful catering business back in Korea so I was always surrounded by great food. It wasn’t until her death five years ago that I really started cooking and thinking about food in a more serious way. I was studying Economics at the time, but I found myself spending more and more time in the kitchen trying to recreate the food that I missed so much. While I could never replicate her dishes exactly, in time, I came to discover my own passion for cooking. I worked as an interior designer for two years in New York City before deciding to pursue a career in food. I chose The International Culinary Center because of its incredible reputation in the industry. I like what one of my instructors, Chef Pascal, told me one day: When I graduate, I will have skills that I can take with me anywhere in the world. I like that. Right now, I’m interning as a line cook at Momofuku Ssäm Bar. The chef-owner, David Chang, is a Korean-American and also a graduate of the school. He’s very tough, but I have a lot of respect for him. The way he puts ingredients together is pure genius. Eventually, I’d like to open my own restaurant, maybe in Korea or Japan, but for now I want to stay in New York and learn as much as I can from the best that I can.
Sun Keum Kim
Hometown: Kyungki-Do, KoreaCurrent city: New York, NY
Course of study: Classic Pastry Arts
Graduation year: 2009
I have always been a foodie. I love looking at food magazines and checking out all the pastry shops. I have a fondness for desserts in particular because they are so beautiful to look at. But I never baked until I came to International Culinary Center! In comparing various professional pastry programs, I knew I wanted to be in an urban environment where I would have access to top restaurants and I knew I didn’t want to learn in French, which would have been an even greater challenge than English. The International Culinary Center was the perfect fit for me. I’m in school now and I’m having so much fun. I’m also interning at Daniel, one of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants, with pastry chef Dominique Ansel. It’s a little crazy because I work 12-hour shifts, but I’ve never been so happy. There’s never a dull moment in a kitchen.
Jee Min Lee
Hometown: Seoul, KoreaCurrent city: Atlanta, Georgia
Course of study: Classic Pastry Arts and Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2004 and 2006
I fell in love with cooking while translating cookbooks from English to Korean for chefs Nobu Matsuhisa and Jamie Oliver. My cooking instructor, one of the first Koreans to graduate from The International Culinary Center, asked me if I wanted to help with the project and I jumped at the chance. Until then, I had been taking classes just for fun but suddenly I wanted to quit college and be like Audrey Hepburn in the movie Sabrina and move to Paris to become a chef! Naturally, my mother thought I was crazy, but she made me a deal. If I promised to finish school first she would support me in my dream. I think she was hoping that I’d change my mind, but of course I didn’t. When my husband was accepted into the PhD program at Yale University, I chose the culinary program at The International Culinary Center. Despite the daily five-hour commute (I had no idea New Haven was so far away!), I knew from the beginning that I had chosen the right school. By the time I graduated, I was exhausted. But I was learning so much that I knew I had to sign up for the Pastry Arts program too. I took some time off, then decided to get an apartment in Manhattan for the next six months so that I could take advantage of internships and other learning opportunities in the city. I’m now in Atlanta, Georgia teaching private cooking classes and working as a food journalist for various Korean-American publications. I love what I do, and I’m so glad I followed my dream.
Seung Sik Yang
Hometown: Seoul, KoreaCurrent city: Englewood, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management
Graduation year: 2008
I was thinking about pursuing an MBA but it was with the encouragement of my family that I decided to follow my real passion in life—cooking. My mother is a very good cook and I have four older sisters who are always telling me that I have an excellent palate. I had already completed The International Culinary Center’s Restaurant Management course, but I signed up for the six-month Classic Culinary Arts program so I could learn how to cook using French techniques. My dream is to someday open my own French-Asian fusion restaurant in Korea and to eventually start my own restaurant consulting business as well. The restaurant consultants in Korea are all marketing people who don’t have any background in food. With my background, I'll stand out from the crowd.
Tae Goo Kang
Hometown: Seoul, KoreaCurrent city: New York, NY
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2009
I studied restaurant management in Korea, but I knew I needed to sharpen my cooking skills to be able to one day open my own restaurant. While doing an internship at AIX Brasserie on the Upper West Side, I discovered that many of the cooks were graduates of The International Culinary Center. I could see that they had really good skills so I decided to check out the school for myself. I was really impressed by the professionalism of the program and knew the school was the right fit for me. My family tells me that I sound tired every time I talk to them on the phone, but that’s just because I’m pushing extra hard to learn as much as I can while I’m here. For how serious the program is, I was surprised to discovered how friendly all the chef-instructors are. Here, the relationship between an instructor and a student is far less formal than in Korea. They’re nice. They want you to learn, but they also want you to have a great experience.
Eun Ye Kim
Hometown: Bundang, KoreaCurrent city: Newport, New Jersey
Course of study: Classic Culinary Arts
Graduation year: 2004
My sister had been living in Virginia for the last 15 years so my parents insisted that I live with her for six months to get used to American life before coming to New York. It was like training wheels for big city life. I think I would have been fine, but I used that time to take more language classes to ensure that I would make the most out of my culinary education. I had visited several cooking schools in the New York area but I knew right away that The International Culinary Center was for me. It stood out as the most professional of all the programs, and I liked the intensive six-month format. Even though my main interest has always been pastry and baking, I decided to do the Culinary Arts program because I wanted to learn how to cook everything a little better. I’m now the pastry chef at Battery Gardens, a restaurant in Battery Park overlooking the Statue of Liberty. I’m lucky because my employers are sponsoring my work visa so I can stay and work here in this country.