Growing up in Arirang House, her father’s restaurant in New York City’s theater district, ChefJi saw, smelled and tasted the amazing dishes that were always being prepared, and was, in a word, seduced. How could she want to be anything but a chef herself when she grew up?

Of course, being the firstborn and a woman — and in a Korean household — she would have an uphill battle convincing her father that she was up to the challenge. But up to it, she was. And how.

From the time that she was old enough to see over the counter of the restaurant, she was a fixture in the kitchen, preparing vegetables, washing dishes, setting up stations and then some. And although for many years she struggled with her career path, trying on roles as varied as pro tennis player and fashion model, in her heart, she always knew that the restaurant industry was her calling.

After mastering the front of the house, she decided to conquer the back of the house by studying at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

Upon graduating with a BA in Culinary Arts Management, she was snapped up by first job the Norwegian Cruise Line in Hawaii and charged with helping their team execute their brand-new concept for cruise dining. While the gig was an excellent adventure and a memorable flirtation with French Mediterranean cuisine, as time passed, she began missing her home and family, so back to Manhattan she went.
The city, after all, is as much a part of her flavor as any spice.

Being entrenched in the fiercely competitive NYC restaurant scene was like an addiction for ChefJi, an addiction she’d never dream of kicking. In Gotham, she’s worked side by side with many renowned chefs and mentors — from Emeril to Julia Child — and these experiences revealed to her many secrets of the industry. At this point, she’s a “young old pro,” a whiz at experimenting with and contrasting foods with different ingredients, cooking techniques and textures, and her dishes have impressed not only her mentors but even, on occasion, her father.

ChefJi strongly believes that food is a constantly evolving trend, and she has committed her life to keeping up with that trend. “Food is a learning process,” she says, “and it never ends.”

In her spare time, she enjoys sports (especially tennis and volleyball), acting (she appears briefly in the “Sex and the City” movie) and modeling (she even booked “The Tyra Banks Show.”) You can enroll in her classes, check out her recipes or just say hello by stopping by her new website, www.chefji.com.