Selected as NANRO Next's fifth Fellow, Chef Sim Soo-Jung works at Onjium's culinary studio in a dual role — as a chef and as a researcher of traditional Korean culture. Alongside master Cho Eun-Hee, a designated holder of Joseon-era royal court cuisine, and head cook Park Sung-Bae, she takes part in reinterpreting royal and yangban cuisine with today's ingredients, techniques, and daily life — while keeping its roots firmly in place. Onjium holds one Michelin star in the MICHELIN Guide South Korea.
She speaks of cooking not as "making" but as "building," placing cultural context and history onto the plate alongside the food itself. She holds to the idea of daemipildam — that the finest taste is the quiet flavor that lingers and grows over time, rather than the sharpness that hits first. Standing beside the deepest roots of Korean cuisine at the moment she opens what comes next, she joins NANRO Next as its fifth Fellow.
