Chef Kim Hee-eun from 'Black and White Chef 2' addresses rumors about being a wealthy property owner.
On the October 3rd episode of SBS's variety show 'Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 - You Are My Destiny,' the daily life of Michelin 1-star chefs Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun was revealed.
The couple currently operates a restaurant in Haebangchon. They run a Michelin 1-star fine dining restaurant in the basement and another restaurant above ground. When asked if they own the building, Yoon Dae-hyun responded, “There are rumors that we are the building owners or that one of us is very wealthy. In reality, we started from scratch. We diligently pay our rent. We have no silver spoon; we have no spoon at all.”
After work, the couple returns to a one-room apartment, which they describe as a place just for sleeping. Kim Hee-eun shared that her father was strongly opposed to her career choice. “Before cooking, I was in a ceramics department, but I didn’t think I would be happy. When I told my father I wanted to switch to culinary arts, he was adamantly against it and even threw an ashtray,” she recalled.
Kim Hee-eun recounted that she was hit on the forehead by a shard from the ashtray, causing her to bleed. “My father must have been shocked too. Instead of helping, he threw a rag at me to clean up,” she said, adding that she left home with a piggy bank containing 240,000 won.
She rented a room near her school for 200,000 won a month, just enough for one month's rent. “I decided I needed to earn money to attend culinary school, so I did promotional work for shampoo and conditioner and saved on essentials by taking toilet paper from subway restrooms,” she recalled.
The couple's goal was to earn 500 million won, which was the amount needed to lease a restaurant. They achieved this goal early in their marriage. Now, they have moved from a monthly rental to a one-room lease.
Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr