Son Jong-won

In this Korean name, the family name is Son.
Son Jong-won
Son in December 2025
Born (1984-03-19) March 19, 1984[1]
Seoul, South Korea[2]
Culinary career
Cooking style
Current restaurants
Korean name
Hangul
손종원
RRSon Jongwon
MRSon Chongwŏn

Son Jong-won (Korean: 손종원; born March 19, 1984) is a South Korean chef known for leading L'Amant Secret and Eatanic Garden, two one-Michelin-starred restaurants in Seoul. He is a regular chef cast on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator and participated as a White Spoon competitor on Culinary Class Wars Season 2.

Early life and education

Son Jong-won was born in 1984 and spent part of his youth studying in the United States. He attended All Saints' Day School before enrolling at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana to study civil engineering. During his fourth year of engineering studies, Son's interests shifted toward culinary arts after coming across students of the Culinary Institute of America in New York City wearing chef's uniforms.[3][4]

Culinary career

After deciding to pursue a culinary career, Son gained early professional experience working at several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Benu, Quince, and Coi in the United States, as well as Noma in Denmark. In 2018, he returned to South Korea and became the head chef of L'Amant Secret in Seoul, which received its first Michelin star in 2021 under his leadership. He later became the head chef of Eatanic Garden, which has also been awarded one Michelin star.[5]

In November 2023, Son was named one of the New Talents of the Year 2024 by the La Liste culinary guide at an awards ceremony in Paris, making him the only Korean chef to win the title that year.[6]

Son has served as a mentor and judge in international culinary initiatives such as the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition, where he worked with and guided younger chefs in regional finals.[7]

He has collaborated with Michelin-recognized restaurants overseas, including Seroja in Singapore and Belon in Hong Kong, hosting gala dinners featuring Korean cuisine and ingredients.[8]

Son has spoken on the importance of Korean ingredients and culinary heritage in global food trends, including at events such as, "Taste of Hansik, Taste of Korea," organized by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Korean Food Promotion Institution.[9]

Under Son's leadership, Eatanic Garden debuted on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at #25 and received the Highest New Entry Award in 2025.[10]

Endorsements

In 2022, Son was selected as an ambassador for the Swiss watch brand Blancpain.[11] In 2025, he was selected as one of the ambassadors for Johnnie Walker Blue Label alongside Zo In-sung, Honey J, and Johnny.[12] He was also selected as a model for Nespresso Professional.[13]

Filmography

Television shows

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Cook Representative Chef Team USA [14]
2021 Vegetable Earth [15]
2025 Please Take Care of My Refrigerator [16]
Culinary Class Wars S2 White Spoon [17]

References

  1. ^ ""한국 온 트럼프 주니어의 유일한 만찬"...한식 재해석한 미쉐린 스타의 식당". 매일경제 (in Korean). July 17, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Kang, Aa-Young (April 27, 2025). "Chef Son Jong-won's Seoul is Creative, Refined, and Inspiring". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on June 20, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  3. ^ "장원영 입맛 사로잡은 '쌍별' 셰프...알고보니 "하루 16시간 일했다"". 매일경제 (in Korean). February 22, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "한식의 재해석 … 트럼프 주니어도 다녀갔죠". 매일경제 (in Korean). July 17, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  5. ^ Lee, Julia (March 2, 2021). "L'Amant Secret Chef Son Jong-won Presents The Landscape Of Modern Korea On A Plate". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  6. ^ "Chef Son Jong-won named one of New Talents of Year 2024 by culinary guide La Liste". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 22, 2023. Archived from the original on November 14, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  7. ^ "‘냉장고를 부탁해’ 손종원-최현석과 싱가포르 대표 한리광 셰프의 공통점은?". bntnews (in Korean). May 30, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "'라 리스트'에 국내 최초로 이름 올린 손종원 셰프". Vogue korea (in Korean). November 22, 2023. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Gyu-lee, Lee (March 25, 2025). "Michelin-starred chef highlights Korean ingredients as future global trend". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "Four Seoul restaurants named in 2025 Asia's 50 Best list, including debut of Eatanic Garden". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 26, 2025. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  11. ^ "'냉부해' 제2전성기 불러온 셰프 손종원과 김풍, 시계와 안경 정보". GQ korea (in Korean). November 22, 2025. Archived from the original on November 24, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  12. ^ 기자, 손봉석 (August 21, 2025). "조니워커 블루, 배우 조인성, NCT 쟈니, 댄서 허니제이, 손종원 셰프 등 앰버서더와 함께 신규 캠페인 '치얼스 투 마이 석세스' 스타트". 스포츠경향 (in Korean). Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  13. ^ "커피와 함께하는 스타 셰프의 하루…네스프레소 프로페셔널, 손종원 셰프 필름 공개". 리얼푸드 REALFOODS (in Korean). December 4, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  14. ^ "'쿡가대표' 최현석, 러브콜 보낸 손종원 셰프와 극찬한 매튜 셰프에게 한국 팀 저력 보여주나 '강자에게 강한 승부사'". 스포츠Q(큐) (in Korean). June 29, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  15. ^ "[EBS 채소가지구] 박은영·송종원·김정호 셰프의 친환경 채식 요리대결 파일럿". 한국강사신문 (in Korean). November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  16. ^ 기자, 이상민 (October 29, 2025). "김풍, '냉부해'서 손종원과 예측 불가 요리 실력 선보여". 중앙이코노미뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  17. ^ Byung-yeul, Baek (December 15, 2025). "'Culinary Class Wars' Season 2 returns with fiercer lineup". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
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