Welcome to Season of Seoul.
I was born and raised in Seoul, in a home steeped in the aroma of simmering doenjang and toasted sesame oil. My mother taught traditional Korean cooking for years, and some of my earliest memories are of sitting on a stool beside her, watching her hands move through recipes she'd learned from her own mother before her.
My career later took me to Tokyo and eventually the United States, and along the way, I've traveled to more than 20 countries — enough to leave me hopelessly curious about how the rest of the world eats. In Japan, that curiosity turned into a full-blown bread obsession. I could tell you exactly why VIRON's baguette — flown-in French flour and all — beats anything else in Shibuya, and I never missed a chance for fresh shokupan straight off the toaster at Centre The Bakery. But no matter how far I traveled or how many bakeries I worked my way through, I always found myself craving the flavors of home.
Season of Seoul started as a way to bring that same feeling to anyone who wants it, wherever they are. Here you'll find tested, approachable Korean recipes, grocery guides for finding (or substituting) the right ingredients, and stories about the food culture I grew up in — all shaped by a life spent tasting the world but always circling back to Seoul.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope this becomes a place you come back to often.
Little Moments That Inspire
Sunday mornings watching my mother stir doenjang jjigae. A still-warm baguette from a tiny bakery in Shibuya. Wandering a night market with no plan at all. Catching a glimpse of my unnie's cooking, plated like it belonged in a restaurant. These are the small moments that keep finding their way into my cooking.
