'Original K-pop Goddess' Lee Ji-yeon Scores Big with 30 Million Won Investment Restaurant... Featured in 'The New York Times'

New York Times Selects 'Top 25 Atlanta Restaurants'
From Starting with 30 Million Won to Michelin Bib Gourmand Recognition

Lee Ji-yeon, who was loved as the original beauty singer of the 1990s with hit songs such as "Baram-a Meomchueodao" and "Nan Ajik Sarangeul Molla," has her restaurant selected as one of the 25 best eateries in Atlanta by The New York Times. The New York Times mentioned that the restaurant is run by a "former K-pop star" and introduced it as having "the best barbecue combining the flavors of Korea and the American South."

Singer Lee Ji-yeon [Photo by KBS YouTube capture]

On the 21st (local time), The New York Times selected Lee Ji-yeon's restaurant, Heirloom Market BBQ, as one of the top 25 restaurants in Atlanta, the largest city in the southeastern United States. The New York Times operates a section called "Where to Eat," which introduces the best restaurants by city across the U.S., and Lee Ji-yeon's restaurant was chosen among the top 25 in Atlanta.

Heirloom Market BBQ, run by Lee Ji-yeon and her husband Cody Taylor, is a fusion Korean restaurant offering barbecue dishes inspired by Korean-style marinades. The New York Times praised, "You have to drive a bit out of downtown, but the best barbecue combining the flavors of Korea and the American South awaits."

It continued, "Lee Ji-yeon, a former K-pop star, and her husband Cody Taylor (originally from Tennessee) brush galbi with gochujang, mix kimchi with coleslaw, and add doenjang to brisket smoked for 12 hours. They make five different sauces daily, and especially the sweet and spicy sauce pairs excellently with Korean-style fried chicken." It also added, "You can't leave without trying the banana pudding topped with perfectly baked meringue."

Airloom Market BBQ Menu Photo [Photo by The New York Times]

Lee Ji-yeon's restaurant was also selected for the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand in October last year. The Michelin Bib Gourmand is a category of the Michelin Guide that selects restaurants where you can enjoy good food at reasonable prices. At that time, Lee Ji-yeon expressed gratitude on social media, saying, "The restaurant that started with 30 million won is receiving so much love," and thanked the hardworking team and her partner Cody Taylor.

Meanwhile, Lee Ji-yeon debuted in 1987 as a teenager and gained great popularity with hit songs such as "Baram-a Meomchueodao" and "Nan Ajik Sarangeul Molla." Known as the "original bookend goddess" while active as a beautiful solo singer, she later moved to the U.S. to start a second life as a chef, working at several restaurants and hotels before opening her current restaurant.