Anh Sung-jae
Anh Sung-jae | |
|---|---|
 Anh in October 2024 | |
| Born | c. 1982[1] |
| Education | Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Los Angeles[2] |
| Spouse | Amy Anh[3] |
| Children | 2 |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | |
Current restaurant(s)
| |
Television show(s) | |
Anh Sung-jae (Korean: 안성재), also professionally known as Sung Anh, is a South Korean chef. His restaurant, Mosu, was awarded the rare distinction of three Michelin stars for 2023 and 2024.[4] He was one of the two judges for the 2024 Netflix cooking contest, Culinary Class Wars.[5][6]
Early life and education
[edit]Anh was born in South Korea but moved to the United States in 1993 at the age of 12.[7] He grew up in California where his parents ran a Chinese restaurant. He enlisted in the US Army after high school, and after the September 11 attacks and the start of the Iraq War, asked to serve in Iraq.[7] Ahn served as a mechanic, where he helped fuel combat vehicles like helicopters and tanks.[7] After his Army service, Anh was set to attend mechanic school to become a Porsche mechanic. After seeing a group of culinary school students walk by in chef coats, however, Anh changed course and enrolled in culinary school.[7][8]
Culinary career
[edit]After graduating from culinary school, Anh began working at Urasawa, where he washed dishes after volunteering to work without pay.[7] Within a month, Ahn was working closely with the head chef and owner, and was working behind the counter.[7] He then moved to work for chef Corey Lee, the head chef at The French Laundry, a Michelin three star restaurant. Lee then placed Anh as his head chef at another of his restaurants, Benu, which also had a Michelin three stars rating.
In 2016, Anh left Benu and founded his own restaurant in San Francisco, Mosu.[7] The restaurant earned one Michelin star in its first year, despite a review from the San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Bauer that felt the food was "still in the development stage" and commented on its high initial price.[9] Mosu was consistently booked during its run in the city.[7]
After a year of operating Mosu in the United States, Anh decided to move the restaurant to Seoul, South Korea.[7] Upon opening Mosu in Korea, he priced the menu 30% higher than the city's previous most expensive multi-course meal, and it earned three Michelin stars in 2023, the only restaurant in South Korea with the distinction.[7] In 2024, Mosu announced its temporary closure, with Anh saying to The Chosun Daily about his coordination with CJ Group, his investment partner in the restaurant, "Our visions didn’t align, so I decided to part ways. I’m currently working on a new restaurant with a different partner, not a large corporation, that better matches my vision."[10]
His style of fine dining is a fusion of Asian cooking with Korean fermented ingredients presented in the classic mode of French haute cuisine.[11] In 2024, he won a Chefs' Choice Award – an accolade of his peers across Asia.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ 박, 수호 (2023-01-13). 미쉐린 3스타 안성재 모수 서울 셰프 "모수 홍콩처럼…동시대인 즐기는 한식으로". 매경ECONOMY. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Cheung, Winona (October 7, 2024). "Who is Anh Sung-jae, the chef behind Michelin three-star restaurant Mosu and judge on Netflix's hit show 'Culinary Class Wars'". Tatler Asia. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ Yong, Debbie (July 31, 2020). "How Mosu Chef Sung Anh's Focus On His Family Inspires Him In The Kitchen". Michelin Guide. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Seoul's culinary landscape shines bright with a new three Michelin Stars restaurant", Michelin Guide, 12 October 2022
- ^ Kim Min-jeong, The Chosun Daily (2024-09-20), ""I join Netflix's Culinary Class Wars to boost Korea's dining sector," says Michelin 3-star chef", The Chosun Daily
- ^ Soh, Joanne (2024-09-25), "Binge-worthy: Culinary Class Wars is Top Chef, MasterChef and Physical: 100 in one neat bite", The Straits Times, ISSN 0585-3923
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wakabayashi, Daisuke (2024-12-21). "He's the Only 3-Michelin-Starred Chef in Seoul. Don't Cross Him". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Sung Anh", The Best Chef, 2023
- ^ Bauer, Michael (July 15, 2016). "When new restaurants push the price too far, too quickly". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ Daily, The Chosun (2024-09-20). ""I join Netflix's Culinary Class Wars to boost Korea's dining sector," says Michelin 3-star chef". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "44 Mosu", 100 Taste of Seoul, 펜립, 2022-10-31, ISBN 979-11-88155-03-3
- ^ "Korean chef Sung Anh describes how a chance encounter changed his life course", 50 Best, 6 August 2024