Sook is a project that breathes new life into Korean food traditions through workshops, collaborations and storytelling.
Inspired by my mother, Hyun Sook Kim, whose nickname was Sook, the idea came about around my own dining table, where I like to bring together friends and family for a home-cooked meal. Throughout my childhood, our family regularly relocated to different cities across North America but my mother’s table was a constant. Whether she was trying a French recipe for the first time or making a tried-and-true Korean classic, her food was always beautifully and deliciously prepared. As an artist, her elegance and warmth was never more evident than at her table, where she believed the enjoyment of a meal was as much visual and emotional as it was gustatory.
As an adult, I am still a nomad, picking up new traditions and tastes as I move from one city or village to another throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Yet the home-cooked Korean food of my childhood remains at the heart of these international influences and guides my approach to new Korean cuisine.
Sook embodies many of my favourite things that are all centred around a good meal, where people gather to share something new in a beautiful, simple setting. Sook pays homage, in part, to the vibrant souks and markets around the world where communities frequently converge to share ideas about food -- and anything else.
