Whew, it's finally over. Yevo Korea Event Launch Its been a long couple of months of planning, negotiating, and creating for a 1 day event that comes and goes. Well I guess that's what it means to be an event planner. Overall, I was quite happy with the event. We had a good turn out, the stage was created in time and there were no misspellings on the banners or any of the material that we produced. Plus it looked like everyone had a good time. Our clients this time were Yevo 43 that wanted a dynamic, fun event that bridged both cultures: America and Korea. They wanted an event focused on explaining the importance of the 43 essential nutrients in their product and how their product was more than food that it was a lifestyle product. We've had other clients that say similar things but with Yevo, I actually do believe in their product . It's really good and good for you.  So what goes into planning a great event in Korea? A whole lot of frustration, patie...

Hey Seoul Eats Readers! My friends are launching an interactive movie about Seoul, where the viewers will have a chance to win a trip for two to Korea!  Here's the info and be sure to share it with others. Dan Step into Seoul a 24 hour epic adventure ‘ Step into Seoul’ is an online experience where one navigates Seoul's greatest landmarks and attractions through an interactive movie with four selected facebook friends. The plot for this movie includes 11 mini-adventures, where the main character will be following a series of clues instructed by their friends, to complete scavenger hunt-like tasks. This virtual exploration is meant to stir the imagination of travelers, and put the viewers in an experience of a visitor having an exciting 24 hour adventure in the city of Seoul. Once the viewer completes the movie, the traveler will have a chance to win a trip to Korea, along with one selected friend from the movie, where the real adventure begins. Link onto the ...

Chef Ciarian Hickey over at the W-Hotel is one of the last foreign head chefs in Seoul. He has had his position for almost 5 years because he is constantly innovating. Over his tenure he has made the W-hotel 'The Hip' venue for Seoulites in Seoul. His champagne brunch is top notch and so are the meals over at Kitchen. Chef Hickey also came up with the  humongous X-burger (which I haven't had a chance to try.)  I have had his other burger and that is pretty darn tasty. These days over at the W-Hotel, they have a BYOB promotion. BYOB is bring your own bottle night. You can bring your own bottle of wine and have it with the menu the W-hotel will prepare. This is a great idea and something I am looking forward to going to again. Now you can pick your own bottle and share it with others without having to pay Hotel prices for wine. Plus the food is darn tasty. The dinner per person is only 100,000 won and with the luxury of bringing your own bottle, I'm totally there. ...

Taste Makers at Liquid Namu Chef Ciaran Hickey of the W-Hotel told me about this exciting event at their bar Liquid at their premium restaurant. They'll be having a tasting of fine French wines and pairing them with AOC French cheeses. A night with fine wines and fine cheeses? It sounds like a perfect evening.  The cost is only 70,000 won a person and it is on Wednesday (tomorrow night) from 8pm to 10am. You can reserve at Namu : 02-2022-0222 or email at namu.wseoul@whotels.com

Our friends over at 10 Magazine is organizing an Expat Festival at the FC Seoul Soccer game. More info below The Expats’ Festival held on September 24th, an FC Seoul soccer game that includes lots of games, free food, and giveaways before the actual match starts. Plus foreigners who buy a ticket before the game get a W2,000 discount (W10,000 instead of W12,000), a free drink (beer), and a free hot dog. You can read more about it on our website. 10 Magazine  (우140-893) 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 211 (한남동) 한남빌딩 10층 1010호 Suite 1010, 10th fl. Hannam Building 211 Itaewon-ro Yongsan-gu Seoul 140-893 Phone: (82-2) 3447-1610, www.10mag.com Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! www.seouleats.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Beer For Books You can drink beer (or a cocktail) and help benefit children in developing countries by giving them books. I think that's a pretty good deal because the more you drink, the more help you'll give. For each drink you have, Suji's Restaurant will donate 1000 won to Room to Read , a non-profit that provides books to children around the world. There will food and a raffle for bottles of wine and gift certificates from local businesses. Photos from the event will be published in 10 magazine. It will be on Thursday, September 15th from 7pm-11pm at Suji's Restaurant. For more info see: www.roomtoread.org www.beersforbooks.org RSVP at Suji's Korea Facebook Page View Larger Map Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Title: Society of the Individual Artist: David Kim Website:  www.davidkimphoto.com Email:  info@davidkimphoto.com Dates:  July 10 - July 31 Opening:  July 10, 2011 (Sun) 7-9pm Artist Talk:  July 24, 2011 (Sun) 3pm Location: Guillaume 기욤 Address: 88-37 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul -  서울시 강남구 청담동 88-37 Tel:  +82 (0)2 512 6701 Website:  www.maisonguillaume.com About the Artist David Kim is a photographer currently based in Seoul, South Korea.  Formerly a strategy consultant  in the U.S. , David   began his photograph journey during his last semester at university, seeking a creative outlet from his finance coursework.   When not on assignment, he can often be found  roaming  the cityscape with his  trusty Leica and a cup of coffee . Specializing in fine art street and portrait photography,  David seeks to document life ' s decisive moments  and  capture  the beaut y from  the ever...

Chai Makgeolli from Fermentation Celebration The 2nd Fermentation Celebration was a big success with a big turnout and lots of excellent food. Here are some pictures from the event. I got to try some kombucha, chocolate makgeolli, homemade beer, salsa verde, homemade goat cheese and homemade sausages. Good stuff.

Here is the sign for Fermentation Trail-abration. The crew has all done a great job preparing and they have lots of great prizes for everyone. You can even win a gift certificate for our cooking classes or tours at O'ngo Food Communications. Oh, and our awesome soy sauce pickles  http://www.seouleats.com/2011/06/soy-sauce-pickles.html Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Tuna Roll Last call for the sushi party. We must have reservations by 8pm tonight. There are 6 spots left so please hurry^^ Dan When we found out that the newest member of our O'ngo Culinary School team, Marcus, used to be a sushi chef in America- we knew that we would have to have a sushi dinner party at our cooking school. Marcus will be churning out excellent hand rolls and sushi rolls at our cooking school with fresh fish from the seafood market. He'll be demonstrating and then serving Maguro Nigiri Sushi, Ebi Nigiri Sushi, Sake Nigiri Sushi, California Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, Alaska Rolls, cucumber rolls and much more. The sushi will be accompanied by miso soup, edamane, gyoza, yakitori and fresh salads. Dinner will come with one complimentary cocktail we'll be making makgeolli watermelon cocktails, Soju Appletini's and we'll have beer, wine, and sake for sale at reasonable prices. Sorry, but at this party there will be no BYOB. This special din...

The next Fermentation Celebration will be on June 18. I am looking forward to this! Here is some information if you would like to be a participant. Our company, O'ngo Food is hoping to participate and we'll be giving gift certificates for our tours and cooking classes. Here is the info: who are we? Fermentation Celebration is a community event that invites Koreans and expats to showcase healthy homemade food and drinks to share. Our first event in March 2011 was so successful that for 4 hours, we completely filled Craftworks Taphouse with people looking to taste and buy! on June 18, 2011 To accommodate the overwhelming response to FC1, we want to take the next Fermentation Celebration outside as a Block Party along HBC and Gyeongnidan. This time, we want to involve not only homebrewers and hobbyists, but local restaurants too. As a participant, you will be asked to: ø provide a space either inside or outside for a Fermenter(s) to give out samples ø team up with...

I got an e-mail from someone doing a meetup for the Gochang Raspberry Wine and Food Festival. It looks like a lot of fun, so you should check it out. Cheers, Dan Dear Seoul Eats, I am a Korean-American living and working in Seoul. My friend, Rio, and I are trying to give expat and native Korean Seoullites opportunities to conveniently experience various festivals and cultural events throughout Korea. You can find our new meetup group at: http://www.meetup.com/ Seoullite-Korean-Festivals- and-Events . Next weekend (June 10th-12th), the annual Gochang Raspberry Wine and Food Festival is taking place in Gochang City. This festival features 복분자 (raspberry wine), 장어 (eel) and 수박 (water melon). We have organized an all-inclusive overnight trip leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday morning for the first 80 confirmed guests. Included for 70,000 KRW is round-trip transportation, meals, participation in the festival (various free food samples and drinks are available...

The next Fermentation Celebration will be on June 18. I am looking forward to this! Here is some information if you would like to be a participant. Our company, O'ngo Food is hoping to participate and we'll be giving gift certificates for our tours and cooking classes. Here is the info: who are we? Fermentation Celebration is a community event that invites Koreans and expats to showcase healthy homemade food and drinks to share. Our first event in March 2011 was so successful that for 4 hours, we completely filled Craftworks Taphouse with people looking to taste and buy! on June 18, 2011 To accommodate the overwhelming response to FC1, we want to take the next Fermentation Celebration outside as a Block Party along HBC and Gyeongnidan. This time, we want to involve not only homebrewers and hobbyists, but local restaurants too. As a participant, you will be asked to: ø provide a space either inside or outside for a Fermenter(s) to give out samples ø team up with...

My good chum, Maggie Whit tum and her comedy troupe: Seoul City Improv  is hosting Seoul's First International Improv Festival bringing teams from all over the world to Seoul. Featured comedy troupes include: A three day improvstravaganza will include the following troupes:  Improv Boston (Boston, USA) ,   Beijing Improv's Bilingual Improv Group (BIG) (Beijing, China) ,  People's Liberation Improv (Hong Kong) , Seoul City Improv and the newly minted Korean Seoul City Improv!  It looks to be an exciting event filled with exciting improv comedy and conveniently located in Itaewon. Here are the details: PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE Friday, May 13th 8-11 p.m. :   International Improv Showcase Our opening night show kicks off with performances from all of the troupes involved. Get to know the performance styles and quirks of all our visiting troupes as they perform a variety of short-form improv games a la "Whose Line is it Anyway?" as well as long...

Between: A Play about Growing up Adopted As an adoptee, I know that growing up adopted can be a bit confusing. It's a bit like being in limbo at times. I am very interested in seeing what Amy's take on this is. The play will be playing from April 8. Here is some information on the play: “Mihyang adeptly embraces her characters ― from a confused young girl, desperate to assimilate in America, to a distraught woman confronting a forbidden pregnancy in Korea ― with heart-felt conviction, shifting the audience from empathy-laden sadness to laughter with ease.” ~ The Korea Herald In association with Seoul Players: Amy Mihyang, New York actor and writer, will present the Asian Premiere production of "between" in April. "Dear....mother." How do you write a letter to the woman who gave you away 20 years ago? Combining adapted work by Asian and adoptee writers and Amy Mihyang's original writing, "between" encapsulates her experiences as a Kor...

My friend Desiree has followed her dream and opened up her own theatre in Seoul. It's called Probationary Theatre and she is going to have a black day speed dating thing there on the 14th. If you are just going to be sitting around eating jajamyeon (black noodles) that day, maybe you should give it a try. Get more information on their website www.probationarytheatre.com Come take a cooking class or take a Culinary Tour in Seoul! http://www.ongofood.com Pictures are taken either with my Panasonic DMC-G2 Camera with 20mm Lens or with my iPhone 4G Join the Seoul Eats Facebook Group Page to keep to date with the latest events.

Dear Seoul Eats Readers, You can't just eat all the time, right? I wanted to let you know about some events in Seoul. Some have to do with food and wine. It's a great way to get to meet other foodies in the community. Seoul Players will be presenting Wintertime by Charles Mee at Roofers in Itaewon from November 26th to December 12th. They always do a great production, so I am definitely looking forward to it. My friend Benjamin Joineau of Le Saint-Ex in Itaewon will be celebrating his 10 year reunion. He is the person that started the whole Itaewon restaurant trend and I'm glad to hear he has been successful. He is having his anniversary party on December 1st and there will be cooking classes and cheese (mmmm...cheese) tastings this month as well. Click Read More, See More to see the complete details. Another French friend, Thomas Scheidt from World Vine will be having their Harvest celebration on Saturday, November 27th. Finally, my culinary school, O'ngo F...

POSTCARDS FROM THE WORLD a fundraising event by New York City photographer Bremelin Romero Once underprivileged children are given the basic needs of education, health care and love, they believe that there are no limits to their potential. "Los Niños de Cristo" orphanage funded by Mr. Charles Decker foundation since 2005 was created to help destitute children in La Romana, Dominican Republic. This safe haven for children provides all the basic needs. It also helps children discover the infinite possibilities in life by reaching their full potential. However,after the catastrophic events in Haiti,the orphanage welcomed several children from neighboring Haiti. The needs have mounted. The children need support,financial support. Together,NewYork Photographer Bremelin Romero and Harpist Kihwa Lee have joined their talents and have scheduled a fundraiserevent. Come to Tea for Two to pledge your support to the children from "Los Niños de Cristo" orphanage. Fun...

This Wednesday Night (after 5pm), Suji's Restaurant is doing a special at all of their restaurants. They will be adding 100 grams (3.5 oz) of pastrami to their already massive 200 grams (7 oz) pastrami sandwich this Wednesday Night. Suji's makes all of their meats and bread in house. This is a New York Deli Sandwich in Seoul, Korea. It's a sandwich so big, that you'll need a fork. Suji's is located at the entrance of Itaewon near Noksopyeong Station. If you are coming from Itaewon Station, walk out exit 4 and walk down past McDonald's. It's on the corner. Disclaimer: The regular price of the sandwich is W15,000 for 200 (7oz) grams of meat. I was invited by Suji's to try their sandwiches. Suji's Restaurant donated product to an orphanage I volunteer at in return for marketing. Dan

These days, the company I work for, O'ngo Food Communications , has been quite busy because we are participating at the 20th Anniversary of the Dragon Hill Lodge. So tomorrow we will be serving food at the Dragon Hill Lodge Hotel- we've spent the whole day today preparing it. We'll also be on base on Saturday near the Discover Seoul Stand inside the hotel. We'll have giveaways and sign-up information about our cooking classes and tours. We'll be opening up our cooking studio by the middle of May and then, we'll be able to do regular classes with Chef Shawn. Oh, the menu for tomorrow is Spicy Korean Chicken Skewers, Tofu and Kimchi, and Korean Pancakes. We will be there starting at 5pm. Stop by if you are on the US military base. Dan Here's the Flyer Look! there's the O'ngo Logo! I'm so proud^^