On Sunday, January 11th, we had the privilege of hosting the tenth installment of the Charlie Trotter Guest Chef Dinner Series: Korea in the City. To showcase Korean culture through food, drink, and the warmth of family was deeply meaningful experience.
Our headlining chefs—Bill Kim
@chefbillkim of Urbanbelly, Chris Jung
@chrisjung91 of Maxwell’s Trading, Andrew Lim
@andrewjlim of Perilla Fare, and Genie Kwon
@geniekwon of Kasama—crafted an unforgettable meal for 125 guests. Orchestrating the beverage program were Thomas Oh
@tomoh44 of Perilla Fare, Master Kyungmoon Kim
@kimsomm_ms and Chiyo Takemoto
@known_terroirist of KMS Imports, Master Serafin Alvarado
@finoalvarado , and mixologists Ryan Castelaz
@ryan.castelaz and Olivia Fadden
@oliviafadden of Agency & Biety, who offered thoughtfully curated Korean wine pairings and inventive NA cocktails.
It was a true honor to seat the parents of all our chefs at a communal table. They shaped us into who we are, and we stand on their shoulders in all that we achieve. After they departed, that same table filled with young Korean entrepreneurs from across Chicago. They gathered to share a meal and reflect on their common bonds and how they might support one another and strengthen the Chicago Korean community together.
We were also fortunate to have Ji Suk Yi
@oh_em_ji of WGN News, who supported this vision from the very beginning. She was instrumental in planning the evening and brought her mentor, Linda Yu
@lindayuchicago of ABC 7 News, to join us. Linda and my father, Charlie Trotter, shared a wonderful friendship; she dined often at Trotter’s throughout the 1990s and 2000s. It was my pleasure to welcome her back after many years.
I believe my father was, above all else, an advocate for community. We must remember where we came from and honor the hard work that brought us here. We must celebrate the many walks of life that make up the great people of Chicago. Finally, to our mentor, uncle, and dear friend Chef Bill Kim: thank you. Without you, this night would not have been possible. Thank you
@jeremydreads &
@mattyeck66 for having his back!
Big credit to
@chilledelegance Nick Robins for the amazing photos.
