Two London locals were crowned finalists at a recent world-renowned Jongga Kimchi Cook Off, which was hosted at the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School London (alongside other hosts AMA and SF Ad also), and judged by Emil Minev (of MasterChef fame).
Valerie So (from Tufnell Park, North London) was presented second-place prize, while Luke Rensch (Surbiton, Southwest London) was awarded third-place prize, after both kept their cool in a 90-minute cook off, to create showstopping dishes that used Jongga Kimchi – Korea’s number one kimchi brand.
Valerie’s dish, Curry-Inspired Kimchi Sauce, Pork Belly, Spring Onion Salad and Rice Crackers, was inspired by her love for strong flavours and passion for cooking, while Luke developed his Kimchi Pork Pie as a way of combining his favourite traditional flavours, and adding a kimchi twist.
Emil commended both recipes for their “creativity, balanced flavours and perfect executions”, all of which worked in their favour to put them top of the class, out of the 10 shortlisted finalists. As a result, Valerie was awarded a prize pot of £2,000, while Luke received £1,000.
Following her win, Valerie said: “I am honestly so surprised to have won second place prize, as all the dishes were incredible – but I am very proud. I felt nervous when I first entered the professional kitchen as it was like being on the set of Masterchef! But as soon as I started, I found my flow and enjoyed every second of it.”
Luke added: “There was so much strong competition, that when I heard my name, like Valerie, I was surprised also. But it was such as pleasure to work alongside Emil in the kitchen and I found it super exciting, as it was my first time in a professional kitchen! As a long-term fan of kimchi, entering this competition was a no brainer for me and coming in the top three, was beyond what I ever expected!”
Returning to the UK for the second year running, the Kimchi Cook Off (sponsored by JONGGA) promoted the excellence of Korean kimchi and asked food lovers to submit their favourite kimchi recipe, resulting in a total of 200 entries.
From these 200 entries, ten finalists were shortlisted and invited to cook the dish live in front of Emil at Le Cordon Bleu, in a MasterChef style cook off – battling it out to win part of the £10,000 prize money.
Each dish was evaluated based on taste, presentation, level of creativity and originality.
About Valerie
Valerie is 25 and a Product Marketing Manager
Valerie started cooking at university, and after being diagnosed with allergies, became very conscious about what she eats – hence why she cooks with kimchi!
Valerie was shortlisted as a finalist in the Kimchi Cook Off 2021 also, and spent the last year experimenting with kimchi, to create one of the top winning dishes for 2022
Valerie’s recipe inspiration comes from experiences and liking to taste different cuisines and dishes, and then using these as a base for her own creative dishes
Valerie loves cooking with kimchi as it adds rich flavour to all foods, and she sees it as a fridge essential – especially when working from home as she can make quick and delicious lunches with it!
About Luke
Luke is 33, lives in Surbiton, and is a Corporate Tax Advisor.
Luke’s passion for cooking originated from his mother, who imparted her skills acquired from catering, which Luke then applied to preparing evening meals at home whilst in his youth.
Luke’s cooking is inspired by his love for taking traditional dishes, and reworking into an alternative recipe, with his third-place dish being a combination of Korean Spicy Pork and the classic Shepherds Pie.
Luke was properly exposed to kimchi when he studied a year abroad in China,
where he became friends with a Korean housemate who introduced him to the
cuisine of Korea – now, Luke enjoys cooking with his wife, who is also Korean, with kimchi being a central ingredient for them both.
Luke enjoys cooking with kimchi due to the depth of flavours and the versatility of it.
