Jang Hee-young, founder and food director of Jangtofu Company, is delighted that Korean cuisine is drawing the most attention now than ever.

The Busan native who feels a deep attachment to her roots is celebrating what has been cultivated in her local community, food-wise. She now uses her experience as a graduate of the Creative Culinary Institute of Korea with a Major in Korean Traditional Cuisine and as a chef at the World Institute of Kimchi to teach about Busan's food culture.

Busan is South Korea's biggest port city and is considered the seafood capital of Korea. At Hee-young's Busan Cooking Class, attendees learn how to make authentic Korean food. After each session, local rice wine makgeolli is served. The course is finished with a local tea ceremony.

"I've been teaching for about four years. I feel very lucky to be able to feel rewarded doing what I love and am passionate about," Hee-young tells Daily Tribune.

While lecturing in and outside of Korea, Hee-young witnessed that global interest in Korean food has increased in recent years. She attributes this to the Korean dramas and movies where various aspects of Korean food culture are observed.

"Foreigners' interest in subdivided Korean cuisine such as local food is noticeably increasing. Their interest is beyond bibimbap and Korean barbecue now," she said.

Busan is South Korea's biggest port city and is considered the seafood capital of Korea. At Hee-young's Busan Cooking Class, attendees learn how to make authentic Korean food. After each session, local rice wine makgeolli is served. The course is finished with a local tea ceremony.

On a trip with the Korea Tourism Organization Manila office and the Busan Tourism Organization last month, we were taught how to cook Beef Bulgogi and Seafood Pancake.

For Bulgogi, the beef is marinated with a soy sauce-based sauce and stirred with some vegetables and mushrooms. The Seafood Pancake, on the other hand, uses Korean pancake powder. Green onion is mixed with the batter that is later cooked in an oiled pan and garnished with fresh shrimp and squid.

"I'd like to help people experiencing authentic food culture when visiting Korea. For instance, I always include a seasonal menu for class and it changes every time because we, Koreans, have this mindset of having seasonal food as a way of living a good life. Living life according to the flow of nature is one of the important factors that make you think you are living well," she said.

Busan Cooking Class provides not just cooking or eating experience, Hee-young added. "It's about sharing time around the table and sharing life style and culture."
To book a session, visit www.busancookingclass.com.