Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels

Posted on 24. Jan, 2010 by grace in Chefs

Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, Co-Authors, The Korean Table: From Barbecue to Bibimbap 100 Easy-To-Prepare Recipes

Taekyung Chung, Korean, and Debra Samuels, American, met 15 years ago in an Indian cooking class in Tokyo when both were living in Japan as ex-pats. They shared many interests and became friends. Debra returned to the States and Tae Kyung continued to live in Japan but over time they lost touch. When Debra returned to Tokyo in 2005 for another year, a mutual friend invited them both to a dinner, not knowing that they had met previously; he just thought these two women have a lot in common and would enjoy each other’s company. A delightful surprise was waiting for both. Their friendship was re-kindled and a professional partnership began. Taekyung came to Boston in July 2007 and spent three weeks shopping and cooking with Debra as they visited local farmers markets, fish mongers, Asian grocers, and supermarkets—discussing how to bring innovative contemporary Korean cuisine into an American kitchen. Their common language is Japanese!

Taekyung Chung has lived in Japan for over 17 years. She has been teaching Korean cooking for 20 years and has her own cooking studio in the heart of Tokyo. She is well-known in Japan for her innovative and healthful approach to Korean cuisine. Ms. Chung has published two cookbooks in Japanese: one on vegetarian cuisine and another one for the public television cooking series called “Today’s Cooking,” on Korean cuisine for health and beauty. She is a contributor to newspapers and magazines and is often the subject of many articles. She also holds a certificate from the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine. Ms. Chung is a restaurant, menu and recipe consultant for new Korean restaurants and has clients in Tokyo’s famous Ginza area, Tokyo suburbs, as well as in Yokohama and Hiroshima. She has done numerous demonstrations and presentations in schools, for Korean cultural societies and at well-known department stores as well as around the world.

Debra Samuels owned and operated Eats Meets West, a successful catering firm in the 1980s and has taught cooking for over two decades.  In 1992 she developed the popular ‘Kids Are Cooking’ series, a program on food, culture and nutrition that ran for three years at Boston’s Children’s Museum.  In 2003, she helped produce a nutrition education and cooking guide for teens– “The Power of Eating Right”– for Operation Frontline, part of the national organization, Share Our Strength, focused on ending hunger in the United States.

Debra has lived abroad for more than a decade in Japan and Italy, and has studied Italian, Indian, Korean, and Japanese cuisine. She has done countless cooking demonstrations and classes all over the Boston area as well as for the United States Embassy in Tokyo and its American Cultural Centers in Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. In 2007, Debra did a program for The Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. entitled: “Taking the Lid of of Japanese Cuisine – Culture in a Box.”  This program was about Japanese obento– the perfect portable meal.

In addition to offering a range of cooking classes, Debra is a food writer and food stylist for The Boston Globe. Her articles appear in the Food and Travel Sections and reflect her love of food, travel, and teaching. She also has published in Japanese magazines and journals, and has done food styling for the local print and broadcast media. For more information, go to www.cookingatdebras.com.

The following is a list of recipes by Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels:

• Kimchi Hot Pot (Kimchi Chigae)
• Kimchi Paste (Kimchi Yangnyum)
• Soy Scallion Dipping Sauce (Yangnyum Ganjang)
• Seasoned Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang Yangnyum)
• Cabbage Kimchi (Yangbaechu Kimchi)
• Cucumber Kimchi(Oi kimchi)
• Glass Noodles with Beef and Vegetables (Jap Chae)
• Daikon Radish Kimchi(kakdugi)
• Tofu and Clam Hot Pot (Sundubu Chigae)

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