Sempio’s Lee Hong-ran Honored for Promoting Korean Fermented Flavors
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Sempio announced that Lee Hong-ran, head of its “Our Flavor” research team, received a commendation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on December 31 for promoting the value of Korean fermented sauces (jang) and boosting the food industry. Lee has led recipe development, international research on food cultures, and collaborations with renowned chefs to strengthen K-food’s global competitiveness. She has also given lectures combining culinary demonstrations (including traditional sauce-making) with humanities and nutrition perspectives, engaging children, adults and foreigners in hands-on cooking. Since 2010, Sempio’s ‘Jang Project’ has worked to integrate Korean sauces into global cuisines, creating over 150 cross-cultural jang recipes with Spain’s Alicia Foundation and teaching about 1,600 foreign students through university lectures. The company opened a culinary studio in New York in 2018 and ran workshops with prominent chefs, sharing some 50 jang-friendly recipes. Sempio also shares 700 cooking solutions on its ‘Saemine Kitchen’ platform and runs an online school cooking program “Joy Cook Day” (즐요일) for elementary schools that has reached 51 schools and over 3,000 children. Lee said the award recognizes Sempio’s long-term efforts and pledged to continue research and outreach so more people can enjoy and understand jang, fermentation and Korean flavors.
