CNN —
From conflict zones in Iraq to Michelin-starred kitchens to hit Netflix shows, Chef Song An’s path to the top of Asia’s fine dining scene has been anything but ordinary.
“I decided to come here to Korea because I wanted to do something different, just like when I volunteered in the U.S. Army and went to war. I thought I would try something different. ” says the Korean-American chef and judge on the hit reality cooking show “Culinary Class Wars,” which was just greenlit for a second season.
Mr. Song, 42, is the head chef and owner of Mos Seoul, South Korea’s only three-star Michelin restaurant. In recent weeks, he’s won new fans as a meticulous and outspoken judge on Netflix’s new series. This passion and unwavering drive to forge his own path has helped him rebuild fine dining in his birthplace.
Born in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, Song moved with his family to San Diego, California, when he was 13 years old.
“We were just a family from Korea looking for the American dream,” he says. “As an immigrant family, we didn’t know much English.”
As a teenager growing up on the West Coast of the United States, cooking was always on his mind.
“I went to school and got into college, but I decided to join the U.S. Army because I thought it was the only way I could travel,” says Sheff.
Over a four-year tour of duty, he trained at bases across the country before being deployed to his native South Korea and, after 9/11, to the Middle East.
“When I volunteered to go to Iraq during the war, people asked me, ‘Why did you do that crazy thing?'” he recalls.
“I heard stories about the Korean War and the Vietnam War from my grandfather, father, uncle, and family friends. That’s why I volunteered to go to Iraq…You only get one chance to go and experience war. Because I thought so.”
In late 2002, he was sent to Baghdad as an artillery specialist on a one-year mission to “clear out bombs and weapons” from Iraqi forces, including the bunker where Saddam Hussein was discovered in 2003.
Mr. Song describes his time in the military as “an eye-opener.”
“Spending four years as a soldier was one of the best and most exciting times of my life,” he says.
“We had people from the Dakotas, Idaho, Puerto Rico, Hawaii. We learned about their cultures and subcultures within the country.”
After leaving the military, Song wanted to literally change gears. As a teenager, he secretly loved racing cars, and his dream was to become a Porsche mechanic.
But two weeks before starting his training, a chance encounter with a group of chefs outside the now-closed American branch of the famous California culinary school Le Cordon Bleu changed the course of his life. Changed again.
“They were all wearing white shirts and checked pants. I had no idea what school they were attending,” he recalls.
After talking to a chef and a fairly influential school counselor, Song became “hooked” and decided to put his dream of becoming a mechanic on hold.
“I’ve never looked back, I’ve never had any regrets, and now I drive a Porsche, so I’m OK,” he says with a laugh.
“I think this profession was a very natural choice for me,” he admits. But cooking was always in his blood.
As a child, Song grew up on her grandmother’s food. In America, I had my first experience helping out in the kitchen at my family’s Chinese restaurant after school.
After graduating from culinary school, he worked in some of the West Coast’s finest kitchens, from the Michelin-starred French Laundry to Benu and Urasawa.
“I’ve met some of the greatest chefs in America, and I think they mentored me and honed my roughness in the military,” he says, adding that he’s learned the finesse of the profession. I credit them with teaching me about the importance.
In 2015, Song opened his own restaurant, Mos San Francisco, which combines American flavors with respect for Korean tradition.
The risk paid off, and within a year he earned his first Michelin star.
“I wasn’t very happy. I was very, very happy for the team and for myself, but I knew there was more to do,” he says.
“Going back to my home country, I wanted to take advantage of what I know and understand…I wanted to use indigenous ingredients, Korean culture and traditions.”
So after 20 years in the United States and a Michelin star, it was time to bring Moss home.
In 2017, Chef Song opened Mos Soul in the heart of one of the world’s fastest growing fine dining destinations. His plan here was simple. It’s about innovating.
Moss was unlike anything Saul had ever seen before. Sohn has taken the cuisine he created in San Francisco and transformed it into a fusion cuisine menu that celebrates Korean ingredients.
But this was no ordinary Korean food.
Korean-American chefs pride themselves on doing things differently, without being tied to a specific cooking style or cooking style. He meticulously blends all of his culinary inspirations from his heritage and cross-cultural upbringing.
result? Thoughtful and playful courses, such as Moss’ signature abalone taco, subtly reflect the flavors of both his hometown and California memories.
“At Moss, we create what we think is the best, regardless of boundaries or genres,” he says.
In 2022, Mos Seoul was awarded three Michelin stars and recognized as the modern face of South Korea’s capital’s changing gastronomic scene.
Song’s meticulous attention to detail is on full display in Netflix’s popular reality cooking show Culinary Class Wars, where 20 elite chefs compete against 80 others for the title of Korea’s top chef. You will face off against an unknown chef.
Chef Song stars alongside veteran restaurateur Baek Jong-won as a highly respected and sometimes feared judge on the show, demanding only the best from an incredible roster of chefs.
The master craftsman, known for his high standards – enough to make even top chefs break into a sweat when sampling his food – admitted he was feeling a little “uncomfortable” with his newfound fame. But Song says he remained true to himself in front of the camera.
“When I say what I think, I do it precisely, logically and carefully, because they trust me,” he says.
“I wasn’t acting, I was just being me. I admired the courage of the contestants. I know how difficult it is to make good food. I wanted to support them, but not everyone can win. So I set my own standards.”
The show spotlights the growing strength and diversity of Korean haute cuisine, which until recently has been largely ignored by the global culinary world.
“Korea’s fine dining and restaurant scene is growing rapidly,” he says. “Seoul used to be a transit city, but now it’s a destination.”
In early 2024, four Seoul restaurants, including Moss, were named to the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which also includes Mingles, Ongeum, and fermentation specialist 7th Door.
Chef Song also received the Chef’s Choice Award for pioneering a new wave of Korean fusion cuisine at this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony, held for the first time in Seoul.
The growth of Korean fine dining comes at a time when Korean chefs are gaining attention around the world, from Koma in Sao Paulo to Atomics in New York. Korean restaurants accounted for two of the dozen Michelin stars awarded in New York in 2023.
“Everyone around the world is fascinated by Korean culture, food, and haute cuisine,” says Song. “I think they’re very interested in what we do, what the flavor profile is, and how we express this culture through our food. ”
And for Song, that also means sharing her food with the world. In 2022, the chef opened a sister restaurant, Mosu Hong Kong, inside contemporary art gallery M+ in the city’s burgeoning cultural district.
As Korean cuisine continues to gain recognition, Chef Song continues to evolve at Moss Seoul, focusing on more than just local ingredients. For example, all the plates and bowls used in his restaurant are made by Korean artisans.
“I wanted to put my food on a plate that matched my food, not just something really beautiful or expensive or shiny,” he says.
Song sources all of Moss’ tableware from Sikijang, a specialty craft store in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district.
“I’ve worked with many chefs, but Chef Song is different. He’s very special,” says Jeong So-young, owner and creative director of Sikijang.
“He can read the techniques and materials of different artists’ crafts. It’s very impressive.”
One of Mos Seoul’s signature serving dishes, the pure white porcelain plate is crafted by a Seoul-based artist known for his intricate, twisted porcelain carvings.
Ceramist Yoon Seol had never made tableware before being introduced to the chef in 2017. I was immediately inspired by Chef Son’s vision.
“When I meet someone who shares the same thoughts, feelings, and emotions as me, I get goosebumps,” Yoon says from her studio in the outskirts of Seoul.
“I have a lot of respect for Chef Son because he gives life and personality to each dish I make. I really appreciate his way of thinking and the importance of beauty.”
The pure white of the potter’s tableware makes Chef Song’s dishes stand out.
“I have a very good relationship with the artists,” Son says. “I try to incorporate their intentions and work into the dish and make it appear as one thing.”
In early 2024, Mos Soul closed its original store in Itaewon after seven years and moved to a new store in the same district.
The new Mosu is scheduled to open in early 2025.
While the new store is being transformed into ‘MOS’, the team is busy developing the menu and hosting events across Asia.
Chef Son said the new space will “remain with the DNA” of the original Mossoul. But he plans to “take it up a notch” with new cuisine and a new look to the interior, ensuring Mos Seoul continues to evolve and grow, much like the fine dining scene in Korea. Masu.
