OURHOME said on the 3rd that 10 of its in-house chefs had obtained the "rice sommelier" qualification. Through this, it appears poised to improve the quality of "rice," the foundation of Korean cuisine, and to upgrade cooking standard manuals such as "delicious rice" for cafeterias nationwide.
The acquisition of the "rice sommelier" qualification was pursued to strengthen competitiveness in "rice taste," the core of meal service, and to provide rice of uniform quality at cafeterias nationwide. As OURHOME uses about 25,000 tons (t) of rice annually, it plans to focus its capabilities on managing rice quality, which determines meal satisfaction.
In particular, OURHOME plans to systemically analyze characteristics such as taste and texture of rice by variety, as well as physical properties, centered on its rice sommelier chefs, establish criteria for applying the rice most suitable for each menu, and upgrade the standard manual for rice quality based on cooking principles tailored to rice characteristics. Alongside this, rice sommelier chefs will train cooking staff at cafeterias nationwide to strengthen on-site capabilities so that any business sites can provide rice that is uniform and highly refined.
Furthermore, it plans to pursue technology development for the creation and commercialization of dedicated materials that can reliably maintain rice taste quality according to rice characteristics. An OURHOME official said, "By obtaining the rice sommelier qualification and upgrading the cooking standard manual, we will lay the groundwork to provide 'delicious rice' at any business sites nationwide," adding, "We will continue to enhance the capabilities of professionals and develop technology to further raise overall meal service quality and maintain differentiation."