Judy Joo facts for kids
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| Born | Summit, New Jersey |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
Jinjuu (2015–2019)
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Television show(s)
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Award(s) won
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Judy Joo is an American chef, author, restaurant owner, and TV star. She is famous for hosting the Food Network show Korean Food Made Simple. She was also a chef on Iron Chef UK and owns the restaurant Seoul Bird, which has locations in London, Las Vegas, and New York.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Judy Joo was born in Summit, New Jersey. Her parents were the first in their families to move to the United States from South Korea.
Her father, Eui Don Joo, was born in a town that is now in North Korea. When he was a child, his family had to flee to the south. He later went to medical school in Seoul and moved to the U.S. in 1967 to work as a doctor. Her mother, Young Nim Park, came to the U.S. in 1968 on a scholarship to study chemistry.
Joo grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She went to Kent Place School, a private school for girls. She and her older sister were the only Asian students there.
In 1997, she graduated from Columbia University with a degree in industrial engineering. She later returned to the university to give a special speech to the graduating class of 2018.
Career Journey
From Banking to Cooking
After college, Joo started a career in banking. She worked for big companies like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
However, her passion was for cooking. In 2004, she decided to change careers and went to the French Culinary Institute in New York to study pastry arts. After graduating, she worked in the test kitchen for Saveur magazine. She also volunteered to teach children in Harlem about nutrition and cooking.
Working in Famous Kitchens
Joo moved to London and worked in several of Gordon Ramsay's famous restaurants. She also did "stages" (short-term, unpaid internships) at other world-class restaurants like The French Laundry and The Fat Duck to learn from the best chefs.
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In 2011, Joo became the head chef at a famous club in London's Mayfair district. She was hired after a TV producer saw her on a cooking show. Her menu featured American food like steak and burgers, but she also added Korean dishes like japchae (glass noodle stir fry) and kimchi tacos.
Her Own Restaurants
Jinjuu
In 2014, a businessman who loved her food offered to help her open her own restaurant. In 2015, she opened Jinjuu in Soho, London. The restaurant received mixed reviews. Some food critics loved her Korean fried chicken and other dishes, while others were not as impressed.
One critic wrote a review that mistakenly criticized a Korean dish for not having ingredients found in Thai food. Joo pointed out that it's important to understand the differences between foods from different Asian cultures.
Despite the mixed reviews, Jinjuu was recommended in the 2018 Michelin Guide and won an award for its design. Joo later opened Jinjuu restaurants in Hong Kong and another part of London. She left the business in 2019, and the last Jinjuu restaurant closed in 2023.
Seoul Bird
In 2020, Joo started a new restaurant called Seoul Bird. It's a "fast casual" restaurant, meaning it serves high-quality food quickly in a relaxed setting. The first one opened in a London shopping mall.
Seoul Bird became very popular. Joo opened more locations in London, Las Vegas, and even in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Cooking for Royalty and Leaders
Joo has had some very special cooking opportunities. In 2021, she taught Mark Flanagan, the royal chef for Queen Elizabeth II, how to make kimchi.
In 2023, she cooked for a special event at 10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister. The event was for a visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and was hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Television Appearances
Joo's television career began after a producer met her at a party. She started as a guest on the show Market Kitchen.
In 2010, she was chosen to be one of the expert chefs on Iron Chef UK. In the show, chefs compete against each other in a high-pressure cooking battle. The show was not a big hit in the UK, but it helped Joo become more famous.
This led to many opportunities in the United States. Since 2011, she has been a judge on many Food Network shows, including The Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, and Guy's Grocery Games.
She also hosted her own show, Korean Food Made Simple. The show was created to share Korean cooking with the world and was broadcast in many countries. She also appeared as a mentor on the British show Cooking with the Stars.
See also
- Korean Americans in New York City
