Edward Young-min Kwon (born February 10, 1972)Ang, Eve. "Chef Edward Kwon: On a Mission to Globalize Korean Cuisine." CNNGo. 25 May 2011. Web. 06 Sept. 2011. is a South Korean

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

who has made a mission for himself to globalize

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. Kwon has held many senior chef positions in luxury hotels in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Background

Kwon was raised in

Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...

, a seaside town on the eastern coast of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Prior to his career as a culinary chef, he received an education at Gangneung Yeongdong College. Kwon had started his career at the

Ritz-Carlton The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

and in 2001, transferred to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

to work at the

Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is a luxury hotel and golf resort in Half Moon Bay northern California. The hotel is a Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes Five Star hotel, and was featured on the travel channel series Great Hotels. The hotel has 261 rooms, ...

.Koehler, Robert. "Seoul Selection". At age 32, Kwon decided to move back to South Korea to assume the position of executive

sous chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command of a kitchen, ranking directly below the head chef in the Kitchen Brigade system developed by Auguste Escoffier. In large kitchens, sous-chefs are typically left in charge of managing members o ...

at the

W Hotel W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''double-u'',Pronounced in formal situation ...

in Seoul. Soon after, Kwon went to China, and later became the hotel head chef at the

Burj al-Arab Hotel The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab (, ), commonly known as Burj Al Arab, is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. In 2009, Kwon returned to Seoul . As of 2011, he hosted his own television show, ''Yes Chef''.

Restaurants

Kwon owns three restaurants in Seoul. Eddie's Café, located in the

Seocho District Seocho District () is one of the 25 districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is a part of the Gangnam region, along with the Gangnam district of Seoul. Seocho District ranks as one of the richest neighborhoods in South K ...

, is a restaurant that offers European/Western style food at a mid-range price."Edward Kwon of Seoul". ''Seoul in the City''. 27 Mar. 2010. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. Located in

Hannam-dong Hannam-dong () is a wealthy Dong (administrative division), ''dong'' (neighborhood) of Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea. It has been portrayed continuously in South Korea's popular culture as an oasis of wealth and luxury, thus becoming the s ...

is a restaurant called "The Mixed One". The Mixed One is a California Multi cuisine

bistro A bistro or bistrot (), in its original Parisian form, is a small restaurant serving moderately priced, simple meals in a modest setting. In more recent years, the term has become used by restaurants considered, by some, to be pretentious. Style ...

offering reasonable prices. The third restaurant, Lab XXIV, located in

Cheongdam-dong Cheongdam-dong () is a ward of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. The area is best known in South Korea as an affluent neighborhood populated by a disproportionately high number of high-income individuals and for having some of the most expens ...

, features contemporary European styled cuisine."Review: Edward Kwon's Lab XXIV." Expat. Souleats, 20 July 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwon, Edward Young-min 1972 births Living people South Korean chefs