Deciding the 'Ultimate Recipe' for Kimchi Dishes

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A Kimchi Master Chef competition to determine the best in applied dishes using kimchi as the main ingredient will be held. The World Kimchi Research Institute announced on the 21st that it will recruit participants for the competition, divided into expert and general categories, from the 21st of this month until the 18th of next month.

The expert category is open to professional chefs currently working in the field and high school and university (graduate) students studying in food, dining, and culinary fields. The general category is open to both domestic and foreign residents living in Korea.

The competition judging will be conducted through a document review of recipes (preliminary round) and on-site cooking demonstration evaluation (final round). The final round will be held on November 20th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. One winner (team) each will be selected for the grand prize and the excellence award, and two winners (teams) for the merit award, totaling four winners (teams). They will receive recipe development funds totaling 10 million KRW (5 million KRW for the grand prize, 3 million KRW for the excellence award, and 1 million KRW each for the merit awards) and the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award.

The judges for this competition include five top domestic and international experts in the food, culinary, and dining industries, including Cho Hee-sook, owner chef of Hansik Gonggan (Michelin 1 star), who was selected as the "Best Female Chef in Asia 2020."

The final selected Kimchi Master Chefs will be supported to act as official chefs for domestic and international exhibitions, experiences, and education hosted by the World Kimchi Research Institute. The developed kimchi applied dishes will be launched as menu items at The Plaza Hotel restaurant.

Lee Chang-hyun, head of the Cultural Convergence Research Division at the Kimchi Research Institute, said, "As COVID-19 spreads, kimchi is gaining worldwide attention as a food that boosts immunity. Through this competition, we plan to produce online and offline content featuring the developed kimchi applied dishes to promote the diversity and versatility of kimchi both domestically and internationally."

Applications can be submitted through the World Kimchi Research Institute website. Detailed information and schedules can be checked through the competition's official Instagram account.