Cho Hee-sook has been named Asia’s Best Female Chef of 2020 by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, one of the most influential groups in the cuisine industry in Asia.

Cho, who owns Hansikgonggan in Seoul, a Michelin-starred Korean restaurant specializing in royal court cuisine, started her culinary arts career more than 20 years ago. She has worked at five-star hotels in Seoul and in 2005, she was appointed executive chef at the South Korean Embassy in Washington.

“I spent most of my life in a kitchen cooking and developing new recipes,” said Cho in an interview with the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy after the prize was announced. “As long as you keep moving forward, one day, without realizing it, you will become an incredible chef.”

Cho will receive the award March 24 at a ceremony in Saga Prefecture, Japan.

The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy draws up its annual list based on the opinions and experiences of more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts.

Previous winners of Asia’s Best Female Chef include Garima Arora and Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun from Thailand, May Chow and Vicky Lau from Hong Kong, Margarita Fores from Philippines and Lanshu Chen from Taiwan.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)