When Han Jin-se enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung last year, he had no cooking experience. Now, Han has mastered three levels and is completing the academy’s final program this June. 

An expert in the kitchen now, Han tosses out culinary lingo with ease, explaining how learning to cook not only helped prepare him to open his own restaurant, but also fostered family time with his son. 

“I bring home the food that I cooked in class and my son brings a bottle of wine,” said Han, 61, an insurance broking firm chairman and soon-to-be restaurateur. 

Not only does Han’s newfound second career-hobby give him more quality time with his son, he revealed it is personally rewarding as well.
Though Han said he is the only one of his group of friends who can cook, in the big picture, he is far from alone.

For instance, Lee Byung-wan, 61, started to learn how to cook for volunteer work purposes. Lee continued to learn how to make cake and bread and then enrolled in the Gangnam district-run Daddy’s Cooking Class at the Long Learn Academy to further his culinary expertise. 

Lee is one of over 15 fellow classmates who have signed up for the men-only cooking program held in Gaepo-dong every Monday evening. 

Daddy’s Cooking Class launched in 2009, according to Gangnam-gu Lifelong Learning team manager Moon E-seul, and currently holds two separate classes, one on Mondays and one on Wednesdays. Both are exclusively for men. 

“It is very popular,” said Moon, 27. “Our students are men in their late 40s to 60s who are facing retirement or who have retired.”

<한글 번역본>

요리 배우는 남자, 늘어나는 추세

한진세씨는 지난 해 르 꼬르동블루-숙명 아카데미에 등록했을 당시 요리 경험이 전무했다. 지금은 3개 단계를 마스터하고 올 6월 이 아카데미의 최종 프로그램을 수료할 예정이다.

부엌 전문가가 다 된 한씨는 요리를 배우게 되면서 식당 개업 준비에 도움을 받았을 뿐 아니라 아들과 함께 하는 가족 시간을 즐길 수 있게 됐다고 요리 전문 용어들을 쉽게 섞어가며 설명했다.

보험중개업체 회장으로 곧 레스토랑 주인이 될 61살의 한씨는 “나는 수업 시간에 만든 요리를 집으로 가져 가고 아들은 와인을 가지고 온다”고 말했다.

(코리아헤럴드 4월 27일자 1면)

천성우 코리아헤럴드 선임기자 (swchun@heraldcorp.com)