THE KOREAN CHEF

Hailing from Seoul, Korea, Chef Park Tae Yeong is an expert in French and fusion style cuisine, in addition to a couple of classic Korean dishes that are close to his heart. The 35 year old chef graduated with honours from the Academie de Toulouse (The Baccalaureat Professionnel Restauration De Cuisine).

Although he’s been trained professionally in French culinary arts, he continues to infuse his Asian heritage into all the dishes he cooks, no matter the difficulty. He loves to utilize what’s available locally, replacing conventional ingredients with home-grown produce to produce a unique local flavour he can call his own, such as a Western styled Kerabu. It’s always important for him to know the environment

His favourite dish to cook in the kitchen is the Duck Comfit with his special wine reduction sauce and a myriad of simple salads. Some of his favourite dishes that he’s sampled throughout his travels include local delights such as Asam Laksa, Roti Bakar and Pan Mee. He’s also fallen in love with Padthai, a Thai dish.

Unlike many chefs who stick solely to traditionalism, he fully utilizes technology as a helping hand. You’ll never see him without his iPad, browsing through Culinary Fundamentals HD. Yet, he brainstorms ideas with a simple pencil and paper, using his artistic talents to illustrate a recipe in his mind.

He’s using the early part of his career to expose himself to different cultures in the world, travelling and soaking the experience to further expand his horizons. His ultimate goal would be to open a restaurant in his golden years, so he may be able to devote his attention solely to craft a diner in his own image.

Chef Park recently embarked on a search for the Best Food in Penang with Taiwan celebrity Chef Chen Hong.

Continuing his motto to embracing new culinary experiences, Chef Park is currently spending the next year traveling around Southeast Asia - researching content for his first ever cookbook.

For more information, check out www.thekoreanchef.com