By Honorary Reporter Vincenzo Acampora Carratura from Italy

Photos=Vincenzo Acampora Carratura 

New York is great for satisfying cravings for Korean food, thanks to the many Korean restaurants there. At Thursday Kitchen, however, the Korean food and ingredients used are influenced by the international experiences of owner and head chef Kyungmin Kay Hyun. Her love for an array of cultures and cuisines has produced a unique international blend that - as she put it - inspired her concept of "new Korean" Cuisine.

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hyun at her restaurant in the city's East Village.

-How did your interest in cooking start and where did you study it?

Before reading (cooking) books and working under amazing chefs, I would have to say it all started from watching cooking channels in Korea when I was a child. I studied culinary arts in Korea and at the French Culinary Institute in New York.

-What inspires you when creating a new recipe or trying ingredients? What is your process of choosing an ingredient or a recipe you want to use at your restaurant?

The biggest factor that inspires me when creating a new recipe and/or trying out ingredients is traveling to other (U.S.) states and countries and finding ingredients I've never been exposed to before. I typically try to use an ingredient known to be cultural or from a particular country or region within the country. Though the word "bizarre" to us New Yorkers is the norm, I try to stay away from introducing bizarre items on the menu just because it's cultural

-What aspects of Korean food and culinary culture are you most interested in and what are your favorite traditional Korean home or comfort foods. What unique ingredients do you use in your recipes?

Korean food expresses the history of Korea, and that's what I love about the food and the culture. Korea wasn't known as a prosperous country (in the past), so people made food that would fill them up by using grain like rice and techniques to extend shelf life through fermentation. I love the flavor of good gochujang (red pepper paste) or ssamjang (thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf), two staple ingredients in Korean food. These two ingredients also have a deep culture behind them. One of my favorite Korean home foods is saengsun jorim, or a braised fish dish with gochujang being the main base.

-Your menu has dishes containing elements of Italian food like gnocchi, truffle oil and ricotta. What dishes and ingredients that you've modified with Korean flavors are your favorite?

One of my favorite dishes would have to be the gnocchi dish or our kimchi paella. Gochujang used in our gnocchi was inspired by one of my favorite Korean street foods, tteokbokki (spicy rice cake). Kimchi is used in our paella to create a twist in Spain's traditional paella.

-Korean food still lags behind other Asian cuisines in popularity. Do you think that the popularization of Korean food requires the use of international ingredients?
Korean food and ingredients have been increasingly exposed to the public over the years, but people are more willing to try dishes more familiar to their palates. So we thought it would be a smart idea to give people a dish they're familiar with that introduces Korean flavors in a subtle way. The results tend to be better than giving a guest who's never had Korean food like doenjang jigae (fermented soybean paste stew).

-What are your plans for Thursday Kitchen?
My plan and dream for Thursday Kitchen are to stay open for 10-plus years and to own five restaurants. We're already working on our second restaurant.

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean