Park Young-joon, the 44-year-old executive chef at the Shilla Jeju, spoke with Chosun Biz at the ninth restaurant of the Delicious Jeju project in Aewol, Jeju Island. The Delicious Jeju project, initiated by Hotel Shilla and overseen by Park, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
The social contribution project has been ongoing for ten years, beginning with the reopening of the first restaurant in February 2014. It was initiated to repay the support that Hotel Shilla received from the local community. This project is one of the key initiatives led by Hotel Shilla President Lee Bu-jin. Lee demonstrated her commitment by attending the 10th-anniversary celebration at the Shilla Jeju in February. Known for her keen interest in the Delicious Jeju project, she also attended the third anniversary in 2016 and the fifth anniversary in 2018.
The project’s purpose is to create a platform for small business owners who are trying to make ends meet because of the business closure problem. Hotel Shilla offers recipes, service training, restaurant equipment, and interior design to assist them in becoming self-sufficient.
Chef Park stated, “Out of 1 million new entrepreneurs countrywide, 800,000 self-employed persons went out of business, with restaurants leading the way with a 93% closure rate. According to Park, Jeju Island’s restaurant closing rate was among the highest in the country.
“The idea was to leverage Hotel Shilla’s strengths in the food and beverage (F&B) sector to assist small business owners in recovering and to elevate Jeju’s food culture competitiveness to a higher level,” he added.
A selection committee created by the Jeju Provincial Government will decide which restaurants will participate in the program. Hotel Shilla is not participating in the selection process to maintain fairness. After selecting a restaurant, Chef Park visits to determine what has to be addressed. He creates fresh menus and transforms the restaurant’s interior.
The competition often sees a ratio of 10:1 or higher, with each project requiring a budget exceeding 100 million won (approximately $72,621). “It costs a lot, but the project’s continuation is possible due to the strong commitment of the CEO,” he said, adding, “It’s a standout social contribution program that has consistently performed well among the hotel’s initiatives.”
On average, the restaurants selected for the Delicious Jeju project see their sales increase by three to five times compared to before, instilling a sense of responsibility and reward in Hotel Shilla employees for helping to transform the fortunes of a family. Chef Park has maintained close relationships with the original owners for nearly 10 years, as the program not only selects them but also provides ongoing support.
Now that the project has existed for 10 years, it has accumulated a wealth of know-how. Chef Park often receives benchmarking requests from other local governments and companies. “With many one-person restaurants these days, it’s important to organize their operations to many customers,” says Chef Park. “We focus on passing on our know-how, such as transportation, facilities, and sourcing raw materials, so that one person can effectively serve customers and cook.”
“There are many places that want to benchmark our project, such as Haeundae-gu, Gwangjin-gu, and Kangwon Land, so I’m traveling around the country to pass on our know-how,” said Chef Park.
Looking ahead, Chef Park hopes to elevate Jeju’s food culture through the Delicious Jeju project. He is determined to overcome the prejudice against Jeju’s small business owners, who have been criticized for their products, such as over fatty pork belly.
“With the rising cost of food, restaurants that can source their own ingredients have a competitive edge. Many restaurants participating in the project deliver authentic Jeju flavors by growing their own vegetables and catching and cooking their own seafood,” he said. “Our goal is to contribute to the development of Jeju’s food culture through the Delicious Jeju project.”
