How one French 'Top Chef' is bringing Korean food into Paris' fine dining scene

Описание: K-푸드, 트렌드를 넘어 프랑스 미식의 중심으로.. 한국계 ‘탑쉐프’ 비빔밥 하루 4천 그릇 판매

And beyond borders we tell you about the power of culinary connections between South Korea and France through bibimbap.
Our senior correspondent Oh Soo-young reports from Paris.

This gourmet bibimbap topped with Bordeaux caviar and fresh tuna, gives a taste of how Korean food in France has entered the structures of fine dining in the gastronomic capital.
It's a creation by Korean-born French chef Pierre Sang Boyer, who rose to fame on the TV show Top Chef 15 years ago.

“My first challenge is to be a chef in the capital of gastronomy, you know.
It was not easy because I think the tastes of French people are quite different, but they’re sharing the same value than Korea value to be together, value about supplier, value about diversity.”

Adopted in France at the age of seven, Boyer later trained in classical French gastronomy.
He worked in prestigious kitchens in Seoul, London, and New York, before establishing his own series of fine-dining restaurants in Paris.
One much-loved menu item is bibimbap, inspired by his Korean wife and their children's love for the iconic dish.


"How many bibimbaps are you selling a day?"

"I have the chance to have 6 restaurants in Paris, and we're selling more than 4,000 bibimbap."

But this is no ordinary bibimbap.

“So we decide to do like a bibimbap with the rice of Korea.
We had some green lentils, some product from my place in Auvergne. We have some eggs and some French twist, we mixed with some kimchi and used raw ingredients and seasonal products."

His classically French emphasis on ingredients and origin mirrors the chef's own life trajectory.
His adoption in France and his community, and his evolving bond with Korean culture, now through his family, inspires his food.
His personal touch made Korean flavors approachable to French diners at a time, when Korean cuisine had little presence, according to acclaimed food and travel writer Catherine Down.

"Pierre Sang Boyer, who was a finalist on Top Chef in 2011, came up in a very classic French culinary framework. Through that, he brought Korean flavors and techniques into the mainstream in a way that felt exciting and innovative for the French palate."

Korean cooking is now being absorbed into the logic of French gastronomy.

"France really loves hierarchy within a meal. You have starter, main, cheese, dessert, and Korean food doesn’t naturally follow that structure. But I think with a younger French customer who has traveled a little bit more, was a little bit more open, we’ve seen more openness to different culinary techniques, more sort of sharing of food, more street food, openness to bolder flavors that are less traditionally French."

Methods like fermentation have gained particular traction from sauces called jang and kimchi to makgeoli rice wine.

"So we have a longstanding tradition of fermentation around charcuterie, cheese, and wine. And so I think bringing in Korean fermentation techniques, there's a real respect there in terms of how you celebrate your product and sort of capture it through fermentation, how you represent a certain moment in time, and layer some of those flavors."

As Seoul and Paris mark their 140th anniversary of bilateral relations, there's a growing appetite to explore more flavors combining the best of both countries.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News, Paris.

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2026-01-29, 17:00 (KST)