Why Some of America's Most Influential Korean Chefs Are Turning to Farming

"When chef Chang-ho Shin was running his two Michelin-starred Joo Ok in Korea, he worked closely with farms, visiting regularly and harvesting ingredients for his daily menus. But when he relocated his restaurant to New York City in 2022, he found that many Korean ingredients were unavailable. Perilla seeds and leaves and a critical group of Korean vegetables used for namul, the cuisine's seasoned vegetable banchan, were not easy to find. When they were, the quality was inconsistent."

"Over time, he developed relationships with farmers in the Hudson Valley. Things improved somewhat, but still, Shin longed to have more control over his produce and a closer relationship to the ingredients. "I wanted to start a farm here. But that was not something I could do alone." Turns out, he didn't have to."

""I could usually buy good meat or fish, but vegetables were different," said Jua's Kim. "Even if I paid more, I still could not always get the quality I wanted. That made me think more seriously about local ingredients, and in the end, it led me to the idea that we should try growing them ourselves.""

"To that end Shin and his colleagues launched First Hand Farm, a one-acre farm in New York's Hudson Valley devoted to growing foundational Korean crops: perilla leaves and namul like island spinach, naengi, butterbur, gomchwi, daylily shoots, jeonho, bujigaengi, and wild garlic."

Chef Chang-ho Shin moved his Michelin-starred Korean restaurant from Korea to New York and found key Korean ingredients difficult to source, with inconsistent quality. He built relationships with Hudson Valley farmers but still wanted more control and a closer connection to produce. Shin and other acclaimed Korean-cooking chefs faced similar sourcing challenges, especially for vegetables used in namul. They launched First Hand Farm, a one-acre Hudson Valley farm dedicated to growing foundational Korean crops, including perilla leaves and multiple namul vegetables such as island spinach, naengi, butterbur, gomchwi, daylily shoots, jeonho, bujigaengi, and wild garlic.

Read at Bon Appetit