Two Korean chefs and two Korean-run establishments received major awards at the 2025 James Beard Awards, often dubbed the “Oscars of the restaurant world.”
At the awards ceremony held on June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Jung-sik Yim, chef of the New York restaurant Jungsik, was named Outstanding Chef of the year. Jungsik is a fine-dining Korean restaurant with its flagship in Seoul, which expanded to New York in 2012. The restaurant gained international recognition last year as the first Korean restaurant to earn three Michelin stars in New York.
Yim is the second Korean to win the Outstanding Chef award, following David Chang, who shared the title in 2013.
In the Outstanding Bakery category, the award went to JinJu Pâtisserie, located in Portland, Oregon, and run by chefs Gyu-rim Lee and Jin Caldwell. Known for their work in chocolate and pastries in Las Vegas, the two chefs opened JinJu in 2019. They were also finalists in the same category last year.
Atomix, a fine-dining Korean restaurant in New York City operated by husband-and-wife team Junghyun Park and Ellia Park, won the Outstanding Hospitality award. The restaurant was recognized for its elegant service and refined expression of Korean cuisine. Atomix has also earned two Michelin stars.
In the regional categories, Sky Han-eul Kim, chef of Gift Horse in Providence, Rhode Island, was named Best Chef: Northeast. Originally from Asan, South Korea, Kim was previously nominated for Best Emerging Chef in 2024.
Two Korean American chefs who were finalists this year did not win. Susan Bae, who runs the bakery Moon Rabbit in Washington, D.C., was a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and Chris Jung of Maxwells Trading in Chicago was a finalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes, which includes Illinois.
BY WONHEE CHO [cho.wonhee@koreadaily.com]
