Hey everyone it's Julie Young for Korean American Story
And Not Your Average
Today we are on location at Rice & Gold
Down in Chinatown
We are talking to Jae Lee
The executive Chef of Rice & Gold
Thanks so much for having us here
Thanks for being here
I actually just met Jae
In person last Saturday
Jae was a guest on the podcast that I co-produce
6.99 Per Pound
So I wasn't there that time
when you were being interviewed by them
But your story
Really, was so interesting to me because
I feel like you really earned where you are the old fashion way
Like you really worked hard for it
At what point did you decide
Cooking is my thing, this is it
End of 2008
One of the servers at Setagaya
Her fiance at the time
Was a chef at an American
American restaurant in Mid-town called Michael's
So I asked them a few times I was like "Hey-"
Like we would go out
I was underaged but I was drinking with them
And I would ask them "Hey-"
Hey hyung you know I'm thinking about being a chef
He's like, "You think you can be a chef?"
I was like yeah I want to try
So you he told me he can take me on but he can't pay me
Until I learned the basics
So after he did that
Then I approached my dad
And I told my dad that I want to be a chef
And what was his response?
He didn't approve it
Yeah
He's like you wanna-
You wanna struggle for the rest of your life?
I'll never forget it he's like
He's like why don't you
Why can't you be like an airplane mechanic
You know
Why can't you be
A korean priest
Something solid and reliable right?
Or something honorable like a priest
You know it was my passion and I told him
Dad this is what I want to try
And he's like-
He's like ok- he said ok but he didn't approve it
Two weeks ago on Sunday
He brought his whole church friends
And the new Korean priest that came in from Korea
There was like ten of them they sat right there at the table
And I came in on my day off to cook for them
And I sat with them after
And my dad was like
Remember our conversation
I'm like yeah, and he's like
When I bring friends over when I bring people over
My shoulders they have mountains drawn on them
So you know I think I made the right decision
That's so sweet
That's like him saying "I'm proud of you and I love you"
Yeah
As close as he's gonna get to saying that right?
Thats amazing I love that
That makes me a little verklempt
I'm gonna start crying over that
I'm super emotional I'm so korean
But no that's beautiful I really do love that
So you work for free for
However long at Michael's
And you learned
On the job
Yeah
At one point do you go-
Did you say, ok maybe I should go to
So sort of culinary education
When I started working at Michaels
I'm like, ok you know what I have to make a change
So let me
Look into a different school
So I didn't have
Green card, no status what so ever
So scholarship was out the question
Student loans
Not possible so
I did some researching and I found out
Part of CUNY there's
School in Brooklyn called City Tech
That were offering
Hospitality management major
With culinary classes
So I said this is probably the best
Option
Best option right now so lets go with that
So I started going there
I think end of 2008
Or early 2009
And it was all the same professors from the Culinary Institute right?
Yeah and those-
And I went there I'm like
I really hope these professors are good
These instructors I hope they're legit
And
When I met them I'm like
Wow
Why does this guy have a french accents
You know I'm so confused
But it turns out all of them came from
From either CIA (Culinary Institute of America)
FCI (French Culinary Institute)
Now known as ICC (International Culinary Center)
But you didn't stay that long?
'Cause you were working some place
Where were you working then?
I was working at
Tabla
At Tabla
Which I love that restaurant
So I'm old enough to remember that restaurant
And no really that was a-
One of my favorite restaurants
And I love actually when you're talking about
Floyd Cardoz who owned
Who was the chef there
Actually it was a Danny Meyer restaurant
That was a around for 12 years
But I love how
Floyd seemed to really mentor you
Right? He took time with you and
Kind of taught you on the job
Yeah
What did that like-
How did that impact you?
I mean
Tabla was the turn point of my career
'Cause up until that point
I was used to working in like
That down and dirty kitchen that was so loud and obnoxious
And then I go to Tabla
And I'm like
Why is everyone so professional?
Why is everyone's apron so white
Yeah
Why is everyone cleaning so hard
They're cleaning like their life depended on it
They have no cursing, no yelling
I've never seen anything like that
It changed my life
Like that was the turning point in my career, I was like
'Cause you saw that it could be this other way
It didn't have to be-
I did not know this way existed prior
But seeing it in real life
And experiencing it first hand being there
I knew I had to work there
So I know you had other jobs in between
Before getting to Rice & Gold
But you said you also had
Another person who was significant in your rise to the top
And who was that?
His name was Shik (Ahn)
He's a korean hyung of mine
I met him at Tribeca Canvas
Which was a Morimoto-
Iron chef Morimoto owned restaurant
Which was short lived in
Tribeca in Church street
I met him in 2012
And he really took me under his wing
'Cause I get he saw
That potential in me
And he's like hey man
I'm gonna teach you my ways and what I know
I'll teach it all to you
He worked his way up from like busboy
Now he's the regional manager for Morimoto
He's really mentored me alot
Even to this day we still talk
How do those lesson affect they way you run your kitchen here
Chef Floyd I learned to
Lead a kitchen by example
And not by fear
Thats what I work on to this day
And through Shik
I learned the work ethic of a manager
Doesn't end when you leave the property
Even when you hang your chef coat up in the office
On your way home
Emails
When you go home before you sleep check your emails
When you wake up emails its a repeat
So you're always connected
We we off camera we talking a little bit about
Your hopes and dreams for the future
And you were mentioning how
You really want to go back to Korea soon
To really explore more your motherland and your connection to your motherland
You know I'm turning 30 next year
And
I've been here since I was eight
So I've lived in America more than I've lived in Korea
You know, year by year I'm forgetting more korean
I'm at a time of my life where
I feel like I'm ready
To open up my own
my own restaurant
I'm neither fully American
Right?
Nor am I fully Korean
I'm a blend of the two
So I want to embark on this culinary journey back to Korea
And spend some time there
Exploring my roots again
'Cause the Korean food that I know is like
It's my dad's cooking It's my mom's cooking it's not
Really beyond that
But I think going back to Korea
And exploring
And seeing what I don't-
What I don't know right now will really
Impact me
And opening and
Inspire me alot
When's the last time you were in Korea
For years ago
Well before four years ago I was there
Six or Seven years ago
But four years ago
I went abruptly because my grandmother passed away
She help raise you?
Yeah, she moved to America
A few years after we moved here to help
Raise you know
Look after me and my brother while my parents were working
Six-seven days
So she had a big influence on you?
Huge, huge influence
What was her influence
I was really burnt out from
So many restaurant that closed back to back
When I was a line cook
And it liked crushed me
I felt so burnt out and defeated
Thats when I went back to Korea
Six-seven years ago
I stayed with my grandmother and she
Kind of gave me motivation to, you know
Kind of ignited that passion again
'Cause you took a break not being sure
Whether or not were gonna go back
To a kitchen right?
Well I knew I wanted to go back
I just didn't know
I didn't have that
Energy
But seeing her really motivated me 'cause I knew that
You know I wanted to make her proud
You know work hard
And thenmwhen you came back what happened?
When I came back I got a call from my old chef
He's like, "Hey-"
The first day I got back
I got a call and I'm like
"Hey whats up chef?"
And he's like "Hey my friend's looking for a"
For a sous chef
It's a Morimoto restaurant
And I thought of you
Are you interested? I was like
Wow yeah, I'm interested
Yeah
And thats when I met Shik and all that stuff
You know it seems like in your
Whole long like
Well nine years of culinary career
You had that happen to you a few times
Where people who knew you from previous jobs
Called you to give you another opportunity
And I think that says a lot about you
Right? Like people are not gonna do that
To someone who doesn't work hard
To someone who's not a good person whatever like you know
I mean that says so much about you as a person
Ok, a couple signature questions I have
Tell me something that everyone knows about you?
That I'm going to crossfit
Trying to get healthy
Alright yeah
So everyone knows your getting healthy now
What do people not know about you?
That I like to get pedicure
That's a good one
Once a month
But that's good, I think more men should get pedicures
Yeah, I mean, I'm on my feet all day
Gotta take care of my feet
Yeah I love it
Thank you for sitting down with me Jae, cheers
Of course cheers