High ambition: Korean executive chef Kim Min in Macau aims for Michelin
Heading the Japanese restaurant Mizumi at Wynn Palace, Kim hopes to open his own restaurant some day
A handful of Korean chefs work in overseas restaurants, but not many rise to the position of executive chef, especially at a young age. This is even less likely if the restaurant is corporately owned or is part of a corporate structure such as a hotel.
In Macau’s Wynn Palace, one of the luxury casino hotels in the popular tourism destination, Korean executive chef Kim Min heads the Japanese restaurant Mizumi. And he’s only 32.
“I was lucky,” Kim said, carefully preparing a dish.
“It's rare, but not too unusual. I guess I was lucky with timing and opportunity,” he said when asked why he thought he was appointed to the position. He has been heading the restaurant for a little over a year since its opening, which came in line with the opening of the hotel in September 2016.
There are two Mizumi restaurants with exactly the same name at the two Wynn hotels located in Macau – one at the Wynn Macau and the other at Wynn Palace – a reason customers sometimes end up going to the wrong Mizumi. The one at Wynn Macau has received a Michelin star as it has been there longer, but the one at Wynn Palace has yet to gain a star.
“There are cases where customers who wanted to see me end up at the other restaurant because the name is the same. I think the hotel is considering changing the name of this restaurant, and it should, but we'll have to see,” Kim said.
He aims to win a Michelin star and to be listed on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
“I'm aiming for both, honestly. Timing wasn’t on our side when we opened because the inspection period was over by the time we were ready and operating. But we’ll be doing our best to be on next year's list,” he said.
Having left his home country at the age of 19 and spending over a decade overseas, Kim speaks several languages including Japanese, English, and Chinese other than Korean.