Description
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Doors open at 6 p.m.
Kick off the new year by celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of the Korean American community! Join the Council of Korean Americans, the National Museum of Asian Art, and friends for a riveting conversation with Beverly Kim, a James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur who was a contestant on Top Chef in 2011 and co-owns the Michelin-starred Parachute in Chicago. Accompanying Chef Kim is Danny Lee, a renowned chef and owner of award-winning restaurants Mandu, Anju, CHIKO, and I Egg You. In this fireside chat, moderated by Edward Lee, chef of Succotash and author of Buttermilk Graffiti, the two esteemed chefs will speak about their journey, how they are elevating Korean flavors in their dishes, and what inspires them.
About Beverly Kim
Beverly Kim has risen through the ranks of Chicago’s restaurant scene to become one of the city’s most acclaimed and recognized chefs. She is one of the few women of color to be awarded the prestigious James Beard Award, and is a proud mother, and industry activist who first gained notoriety as a contestant on Top Chef in 2011. She co-owns the Michelin-starred Parachute in Chicago with her husband, Chef Johnny Clark which was recognized by the Chicago Tribune as Best New Restaurant in 2015 and a spot on Bon Appetit’s nationwide “Best New Restaurants” list. Chef Beverly and her husband were awarded the 2019 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Great Lakes. As one of the few female chef/owners in the industry, Chef Beverly started a nonprofit organization during the pandemic, The Abundance Setting, to address the alarming gender inequality in the culinary and hospitality fields. In November of 2021, Chef Beverly was named one of the Chicagoans of the year for keeping women at the table. In addition, the Chicago Tribune awarded The Abundance Setting "Best New Industry Resource" of 2020, and her leadership is featured in the October 2021 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. In 2023, she opened Anelya with Chef Johnny Clark, which explores the culinary traditions of Ukraine and is Clark's most personal restaurant to date.
About Danny Lee
Chef Danny Lee was born in Washington, DC, and still calls the region home. After a quick career in genetic research, Danny dedicated himself to the restaurant industry, eventually managing a local DC powerspot. In 2006, Danny and his mother, Yesoon, decided to open Mandu, DC’s first full service Korean restaurant, near Dupont Circle. Five years later, the family opened a second location in DC’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood.
In 2017, Danny started a new restaurant group with Chef Scott Drewno called The Fried Rice Collective. The group’s first restaurant, CHIKO, opened in July of 2017 on Barrack’s Row in Washington, DC. CHIKO serves modern Chinese and Korean cuisine in a fun and casual environment. During the first opening year, CHIKO was nominated for Best New Restaurant in the country by the James Beard Awards. CHIKO has since expanded with additional locations in DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Encinitas, CA. The original Mandu location suffered a fire in the summer of 2017. Due to his family’s history in the building, Lee wanted to stay and rebuild, but open as a new concept. In the summer of 2019, Anju opened, with The Fried Rice Collective partnering with the Lee family. Anju serves eclectic Korean cuisine in a vibrant atmosphere, paying homage to both traditional and modern aspects of Korean culture. Since opening, Anju was named the #1 restaurant in the region by Washingtonian Magazine and has been nominated for various local and national awards.
Danny was nominated as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in the Spring of 2020. In the fall of 2021, Danny was listed on the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100, being recognized for the anti-racism initiatives he had taken part of or started. In 2022, Danny and his business partner Scott were recognized as Restaurateurs of the Year for the 2022 RAMMY Awards. Danny has been featured in several national and local publications and media outlets, such as HBO, Netflix, The Today Show, the Wall Street Journal, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Food Network, Men’s Health, Washington Post, Washingtonian, and many more.
About Edward Lee
Edward Lee is the chef/owner of 610 Magnolia and Nami in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the culinary director for Succotash Prime in Washington, DC, and Succotash in National Harbor, Maryland. He is the cofounder of The LEE Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to diversity and equality in the restaurant industry. Chef Lee is the author of two books, Smoke & Pickles, which was a national bestseller, and Buttermilk Graffiti, which won the 2019 James Beard Award for writing. Lee has been a six-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast. In 2018, Food & Wine Magazine named 610 Magnolia one of the country’s most important restaurants of the past forty years. The Michelin Guide DC awarded Succotash a Bib Gourmand in 2019. He was nominated for a daytime Emmy Award for his role as host of The Mind of a Chef on PBS. He has written a feature documentary called Fermented, and his upcoming bourbon cookbook will be released in the spring of 2024. He lives in both Louisville, Kentucky, and Washington, DC.
Cost
Free. Advance registration recommended.
