Ryu Soo-young and Chef Fabri are set to promote Korean cuisine in a region devoid of Korean restaurants.
On the 7th, a press conference for JTBC's entertainment program ‘Street Food Business’ was held at the Stanford Seoul Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Attendees included Ryu Soo-young, Fabri, Hwang Kwang-hee, Shin Hyun-ji, Bae In-hyuk, CP Kim Min-seok, and PD Kim So-young. Cast member Jeon So-mi was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
‘Street Food Business’ captures the journey of Ryu Soo-young and Fabri as they embark on street vending while cycling through the gastronomic country of Spain. They challenge themselves to introduce Korean cuisine using a mobile kitchen, the ‘Food Bike’, in the southernmost part of Spain, where there are no Korean restaurants.
On that day, CP Kim Min-seok explained, “This is PD Kim So-young's first directing project, and the concept was a food bike. Despite it being their first business venture, we wanted to go hardcore and intensely, so we planned to change locations and recipes daily to provide different variations of the business.”
PD Kim So-young, who is taking on her first directing role with this program, stated, “I wanted to create a food program with extreme freedom. I am satisfied that the intent matched, and we filmed in various locations, weather conditions, and variables.”
There have been many programs featuring overseas business ventures. What sets ‘Street Food Business’ apart?
PD Kim added, “I thought it was a bit more romantic. There are no walls or shares, so the range of action is wide, allowing us to explore the city’s alleys. Even if you don’t usually ride a bike, there’s a charm in cycling when traveling.”
She continued, “The distinguishing feature is the feeling of starting at the starting line every day. Fabri is new to street vending, and for Ryu Soo-young, this is his first time in food business. Their enjoyment and fun in cooking, like freshmen in college, are memorable. It’s tough with the daily changes in menu and location, but I think it was romantic.”
PD Kim also expressed, “I hoped it wouldn’t look like a business game. (The casting criteria for staff were) work capability and survival skills. The young people had great sensibility.”
CP Kim explained, “The types of customers coming in every day are different. You can think of it as an open panorama kitchen with the beautiful city of Cadiz as the backdrop. Each space has distinct roles, and there’s a lot of communication and interaction, so the tension is different. You’ll feel that it’s different from existing business programs.”
Ryu Soo-young, who has established himself as a recipe expert and a national cooking teacher through ‘Pyeon Restaurant’, is set to showcase both his skills and passion in ‘Street Food Business’.
Ryu Soo-young remarked, “It was tough, but it was fun. It was very hard, but as time passed, it became a beautified memory.” He added, “We sold different recipes in different locations every day. I’ve never done that in other broadcasts, and actual vendors don’t do that either. After each day of business, preparing ingredients and organizing recipes wasn’t easy, but we all endured it together. It was a fun business.”
Michelin chef Fabri is also set to promote Korean cuisine in Spain.
Fabri stated, “To persuade customers, I said, ‘This is a real life experience.’ It was a life experience for me too. This was my first time having such an experience. It was so much fun. It was hard, but rewarding. Please enjoy it. It’s really fun.”
He continued, “Whenever I introduce Korean cuisine to someone who doesn’t know it, I try to provide a dish that mixes what they know with Korean food. It can be called fusion, and I introduced Korean cuisine alongside representative dishes from Cadiz. I don’t know if it was successful, but I tried.”
Who is the head chef between Ryu Soo-young and Fabri? CP Kim stated, “Both are head chefs,” adding, “There are times when they each handle different menus, but they can spread the kitchen to different places, serving different customers like branches 1 and 2, maximizing sales and competing in pride. The tension can change depending on which chefs and staff are working together.”
Hwang Kwang-hee said, “I think broadcasting should be somewhat planned, but it changes in an instant, which was very surprising and made me angry. We had to do business. I didn’t even realize it. The director kept it very real,” he added playfully.
Hwang Kwang-hee continued, “I’ve been assisting the chef all along. So I’ve often been invited to food-related programs. They would say, ‘You do well,’ ‘We trust you,’ and that became a burden for me. I’m good at assisting, not cooking, but I thought I’d do well this time and also go abroad, so I participated,” he jokingly explained his reason for joining.
He added, “The main writer, who I’ve worked with for a long time (on shows like ‘Infinite Challenge’), said after three episodes that it was so hard that I asked, ‘How could you do this to me?’ They replied, ‘We called you because it’s you. Please do it like it’s the last time.’ I thought about calling the company, but I’m 38 years old. Shouldn’t I be able to handle this?’” He humorously complained, “The directors were quietly saying, ‘Just do it,’ which made me very annoyed.”
Hwang Kwang-hee's complaints were understandable to everyone. Not only Hwang Kwang-hee but also chef Ryu Soo-young had his own difficulties.
Ryu Soo-young mentioned, “There were no Korean markets or restaurants in the area. Although there’s a Korean Wave and K-food craze, it’s mostly in the English-speaking world, and many places in Europe are unaware. There was nowhere to shop. We had to do Korean food.”
He continued, “Existing programs have a guideline of ‘make this many servings.’ However, ‘Street Food Business’ requires almost 100 servings a day; it was a war. After each day of business, we had to shop and prepare ingredients. The completely different aspect from regular business is that we operate at the same eye level as the customers,” he explained. “People passing by ask questions, and while cooking, they take food. There’s a culture of ‘let me try one before I buy,’” he described the differences from what he knew about Europe.
Ryu Soo-young also stated, “They say Europe is sophisticated and lacks warmth. But they are actually very warm and family-oriented. If they taste something delicious, they bring their whole family. They are much warmer, kinder, and more fun than I expected. I think we can see the real southern Spain. It would be good to expect that.”
Fabri also expressed pride, saying, “After we filmed our show, a Korean restaurant opened. People loved it so much that it opened right away. There was none before, but thanks to our filming, it was created.”
Finally, Ryu Soo-young added, “I hoped that Korean food wouldn’t become spicier or sweeter. (While doing business in Spain), that desire grew. I think that’s the biggest gain.”
‘Street Food Business’ will premiere on the 8th at 10:40 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
