'Heukbaek Yorisah' An Seongjae: "Michelin 3 Stars? Only Downhill from Here"

Mosoo Seoul, Renovation Work Underway
"I Thought 'Maybe It's Okay to Do It Roughly'"
"We Must Evolve Unconditionally... Putting Our Heart and Soul Into It"

Chef An Seongjae, who appeared as a judge on Netflix's "Black and White Chef." [Source=Esquire]

Chef An Seong-jae, who appeared as a judge on Netflix's popular variety show "Black and White Chef: Culinary Class War" (hereafter "Black and White Chef"), spoke about Michelin.

On the 22nd, fashion magazine Esquire released a pictorial shot at Chef An's restaurant. The fine dining restaurant he operates, Mosu Seoul, is currently closed for renovation. Chef An explained, "Architect Cho Min-seok, who built the UK's Serpentine Pavilion?an architect selected worldwide only once a year?was in charge. It was not easy to preserve the charm of an old Korean Western-style house while adding a modern touch, so after much consideration, it got a bit delayed."

He continued, "Honestly, sometimes I think 'maybe we can do it a little roughly now,'" but added, "However, if it is at the same level as the previous restaurant, it means nothing. We must evolve unconditionally, so we are putting our utmost effort into it." Furthermore, he said, "Mosu, which did not operate during the period when Michelin inspectors were undercover, will lose its stars. If we count stars, there is only a downward path left for us. But what is important to us is evolution."

Chef An also stated, "Honestly, most of the participants probably did not know who I was," and added, "Originally, I am someone who expresses myself through cooking quietly, rather than seeking attention." He further noted, "Not everyone can taste my cooking, and now that I am connected to the public through 'words' via the program, I think words are also very important."

Meanwhile, "Black and White Chef" is a survival program depicting a culinary class war among 100 chefs, where the highly praised underdog "Black Spoon" chefs challenge the top star "White Spoon" chefs of Korea. It ranked first in the non-English TV series category in Korea on Netflix upon release and made the top 10 in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other regions, gaining significant attention. Chef An appeared as a judge alongside Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, gaining popularity for his logical judging comments and charismatic presence.