Yale Global Table Chef’s Lecture and Dinner – Venerable Jeong Kwan

For the third iteration of Global Table, the MacMillan Center's Council on East Asian Studies will welcome Venerable Jeong Kwan, a renowned Seon Buddhist nun and chef of Korean temple cuisine, celebrated for her sustainable and eco-conscious eating practices founded on Buddhist philosophy. She resides in the Chunjinam Hermitage at the Baegyangsa temple in South Korea, located south of Seoul, where she cooks for fellow nuns and monks, as well as occasional visitors. As a Seon Buddhist, she lives on a strictly vegan diet, excluding certain varieties of Allium (garlic and onions are common Allium foods), and uses only ingredients that she grows herself on the temple grounds. An expert in fermentation, she even creates her own miso, soy sauce, and kimchi to incorporate into her meals. She stepped into the global limelight when she was featured on the Netflix series Chef’s Table in 2017 and has since received greater public recognition: from being selected as one of the Plant-Forward Global 50 by Eat Forum and The Culinary Institute of America, to being nicknamed the ’The Philosopher Chef’ by the New York Times, and being a source of inspiration for numerous chefs including Mingoo Kang, of the Seoul restaurant Mingles, and René Redzepi, of Noma in Copenhagen. While at Yale, she will share her philosophy on food in an illuminating talk with Professor Hwansoo Kim and showcase her cooking in a specially curated dinner that she and her team of chefs, along with the chefs and staff at Yale hospitality will prepare. Preceding this, we will also welcome Professor Hyaeweol Choi from The University of Iowa to present a lecture at Yale on Korean temple food, offering a glimpse into the centuries-old traditions of temple food and Buddhist philosophy that are the basis of Jeong Kwan's cooking today.

Global Table, a collaboration between Yale MacMillan Center, Yale Schwarzman Center, and Yale Hospitality, aims to illuminate the connections between sustainability, health, culture, and community. It centers around bringing culinary thought leaders from around the world to campus. While in residence, each fellow trains staff, connects with students and researchers, and offers remarks followed by a reception with a menu inspired by the chef.