Chef Ahn Yu-seong, who became famous after appearing on the Netflix cooking management program "Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War," visited Muan Airport in South Jeolla Province on the 1st to serve abalone porridge to families of the Jeju Air passenger plane accident victims.
On this day, besides Chef Ahn, other chefs who appeared on "Black and White Chef" also participated in the service, including Chef Lee Young-sook, known as a "Korean cuisine master," Chef Bae Kyung-jun of "123," and "Side Dish Chef" Song Ha-sul-ram. They prepared 700 servings of abalone porridge, which increased to 1,000 servings with the help of local restaurant workers near Muan Airport.
Chef Ahn explained why abalone porridge was prepared instead of tteokguk by saying, "As a chef residing in the Gwangju area, I wanted to help the families regain their strength with nutritious abalone porridge." Ahn noted, "Initially, we brought 700 servings, but local restaurant workers each contributed, completing 1,000 servings."
Chef Ahn served the prepared abalone porridge to the families during lunchtime on the same day. That morning, Chef Ahn appeared on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" and explained why abalone porridge was chosen for the first day of the new year instead of tteokguk. "The families are so exhausted that even swallowing food is difficult for them," Ahn said. "I prepared the abalone porridge hoping it would help them regain some energy. I made it thick with a lot of abalone."
Chef Ahn, who hails from Gwangju Metropolitan City, is the 16th National Culinary Master of South Korea. After learning to cook at a renowned Japanese restaurant in Seoul, Chef Ahn returned to their hometown to open a restaurant. Chef Ahn continuously researches local ingredients from the Honam region, developing new menus.
On the 30th of last month, Chef Ahn prepared 200 servings of gimbap and brought them to the airport. Chef Ahn noted, "Despite their lack of energy, it was very touching when they said, 'It tastes good,' while having a piece of gimbap."
When asked, "What kind of food are you thinking of preparing next?" Chef Ahn replied, "I plan to keep preparing dishes like sandwiches that can help restore some energy even when one doesn't have an appetite, to always be around them."