'Heukbaek Yori-sa' Ahn Yuseong: "Instead of Tteokguk, I Served Jeonbokjuk to the Bereaved Family..."

"Preparing Abalone Porridge to Help Recover Energy"

Chef Ahn Yuseong, who appeared on the Netflix variety show "Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War," shared an update on helping the families of victims at Muan International Airport, where the Jeju Air disaster occurred. On the 1st, Chef Ahn visited Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do and served abalone porridge instead of rice cake soup to the families of the Jeju Air disaster victims.

In an interview with SBS Radio's "Kim Taehyun's Political Show" that day, he said, "Rice cake soup would be meaningful on the first day of the new year, but the families are very exhausted and struggling," adding, "It is not easy for them to swallow even one bite of food, so I prepared abalone porridge to help them regain some strength."

Chef Ahn Yuseong helping the bereaved families of the Jeju Airport passenger plane disaster at Muan International Airport. Photo by SBS YouTube capture

He continued, "I put a lot of abalone and cooked it thickly, hoping it would help restore their energy even a little."

Most of the victims of this disaster were residents of Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk regions, so the shock Chef Ahn experienced was also great. Born in Gwangju and the 16th Master Chef of Korea, Chef Ahn learned to cook at a famous Japanese restaurant in Seoul before returning to his hometown to open a Japanese restaurant. He has been running a restaurant in Seo-gu, Gwangju for a long time and is known to have direct and indirect connections with the victims of the disaster.

He said, "Some were customers, and some were PDs who worked with me on broadcasts," adding, "If you take one step, you find that everyone is connected to people in this area, so it is very heartbreaking and tragic."

Chef Ahn Yuseong visited Muan International Airport in Jeonnam on the 30th of last month and served 200 servings of gimbap to the bereaved families. SBS News

Earlier, on the day after the disaster, the 30th of last month, Chef Ahn prepared 200 servings of gimbap and visited the airport. He shared his feelings at the time, saying, "I felt numb and frustrated, and I couldn't focus on work. I didn't know what the situation at the airport was or how I could help, but I just thought I should go, so I quickly rolled the gimbap and brought it."

He added, "It was touching when someone weakly said 'It's delicious' while eating a piece of the gimbap I made with care," and said, "I decided to donate my cooking skills as a talent donation and share the sorrow by being by their side."

Meanwhile, not only Chef Ahn but also other chefs who appeared on Black and White Chef are participating in helping the families. Chef Ahn added, "Upon hearing about our food service, many chefs including Chef Choi Jihyung, Chef Bang Gisu, and Chef Lim Heewon are coming down here one after another without hesitation."