榴莲视频

As a young boy growing up in South Korea until age 10, Minsoo Jo recalled his earliest impressions of food came to him though his grandmother, who would spoil him with yams and candy on his visits.  

鈥淭he culture of South Korea is rich in food,鈥� Jo said. 鈥淚 have always been surrounded by good home cooking.鈥� 

When Jo鈥檚 parents moved their family to the United States, they opened a small breakfast restaurant, in Norristown, where he helped out and kept the books. Prior, they were small business owners back in Korea.  

After graduating from high school in the U.S., Jo wanted to continue working in the restaurant business, but saw the value in getting an education to enable him to fully prosper in the culinary world.  

鈥淲hen my parents opened up the restaurants it seemed natural that I would pursue it,鈥� Jo said. 鈥淚 decided I would learn how to properly run a restaurant.鈥� 

High-caliber chefs 

Jo, who lives in Maple Glen, Montgomery County, decided to enroll in 榴莲视频鈥檚 Culinary Arts program in 2015, but that was after looking at various options. 

鈥淚 think one of the selling points of Montco back when I was applying to colleges, is they were emphasizing how high of quality education you can get for the money,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll of the chefs there are very high- caliber chefs who really know the field inside and out.鈥� 

Due to their level of experience, they were able to give Jo a lot more insight than he felt he could get at other schools he was considering.  

Once he began at 榴莲视频 he realized he could get out of the program as much as he put into it. Jo said that Chef Stephen Latona, 榴莲视频 Culinary Arts Instructor, treated students as professionals to prepare them for real-world experience, which was beneficial to him.  

鈥淚f he saw someone that really wanted and was going to be in the industry for a long time, he would push the students 鈥� their standards, how they were dressed, how sharp their knives were, their uniform, how timely they were,鈥� Jo said.  

Love of cuisine 

Latona said that Jo was an outstanding student in the program from the start, who exuded a love of cuisine and learning. 

鈥淗e always wanted to learn as much as possible and completed his tasks in a timely manner and also showed a keen eye to plating details,鈥� Latona said. 鈥淗e always asked if he could help in any way and was always courteous and helped other students.鈥� 

After receiving his associate degree in 2018, Jo decided to continue with his education and transferred to to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in and Food Service Management.

Leading up to his graduation from Johnson & Wales in 2020, it was 榴莲视频鈥檚 Chef Latona who referred him to an internship at the French fine dining restaurant, , located in Mount Airy, Philadelphia.  

鈥淐hef Jansen was a chef at the Four Seasons and has cooked for kings and queens,鈥� Jo said. 鈥淐hef Latona felt he was someone I could really benefit from.鈥� 

Chef Latona said that he recommended Jo to Jansen because he felt it would be a good fit for both the student and the operation.  

鈥淚 thought, based on his actions in my labs, he would be a perfect fit with my friend, Dave鈥檚, restaurant 鈥� Jansen,鈥� Latona said.  

Creative in the kitchen 

Jo worked his way up the ranks at Jansen starting as an unpaid intern, known as a 鈥榮tage鈥� in the culinary world, and is currently a sous-chef. While Jo does get the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen, he said he also still cooks in the line and makes bread and pasta. Each of his responsibilities comes with different levels of fulfillment.  

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 doing my own special I created for the night, there is that extra umph when I designed it and shared it with the customer,鈥� he said. 

Despite most of the cuisine at Jansen being New Age American with a French background, Jo appreciates the openness Chef Jansen has for other cultures, which has enabled Jo to incorporate his roots in his creations. 

鈥淚 have been able to infuse a lot of Korean stuff,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e pull in a lot of inspiration from different cultures, and he encourages us to explore.鈥� 

Jo shared a Moroccan-inspired dish that was recently on the menu.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 a Moroccan spiced couscous with grilled dorade, which is a flakey fish from the Mediterranean,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he dish has lots of clove, cinnamon and bold flavors.鈥� 

Demands of the restaurant industry  

Given the demands of the restaurant industry, Jo said that if you鈥檙e in the business to simply look cool or own a restaurant, it鈥檚 going to be challenging to sustain yourself in the business. 

鈥淭ime management is the key to figuring out what you genuinely want out of the industry and if you are working weekends, holidays and really long shifts, it鈥檚 not going to be an easy task, but if you really do love cooking and being in the restaurant and prioritize what鈥檚 important to you first, then everything else will work out.鈥� 

Jo balances his work at Jansen with continuing to help his parents out at their restaurant in the mornings when he鈥檚 free. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 hands-off work like calling purveyors and bookkeeping,鈥� he said.   

When Jo takes a close look at his career, 榴莲视频 is held in high regard. It鈥檚 the place where he learned methods to keep things under a certain cost, how to manage staff with different personalities, all about culinary entrepreneurship, and how to apply for a loan with a business model. 

鈥淔or an overarching view on how to run a successful restaurant, I got that from Montco,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of the chefs and instructors bring in real examples.鈥� 
 
Jo sees the culinary arts as a craft where techniques need to be continuously practiced. 

鈥淚 think people forget the culinary arts is a creative field,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 passion clashing with passion because the industry can be a tough one to be in, especially with chefs and cooks arguing over food and cooking techniques鈥� 

When discussing his future goals, there is a simplicity to Jo鈥檚 perspective on personal fulfillment.

鈥淚 get the most enjoyment out of my job when a dish I created comes back and is almost licked clean,鈥� Jo said. 鈥淚 can get enjoyment in knowing I can make someone鈥檚 day better. That is what drives me forward.鈥� 

Latona credits Jo鈥檚 rise at Jansen to his hard work.  

鈥淚 definitely see him, and have high hopes, that in due time he will be moving on to a higher position in the culinary world,鈥� Latona said. 鈥淧erhaps, one day, owning his own restaurant.鈥�