Mr. Jin-ho Yoo, CEO of HeungHeung Pastry
Diplôme de Cuisine 2012
What led you to enroll at Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung Academy?
Ever since I came across the British chef Jamie Oliver at the age of fifteen, becoming a chef had been my dream. But before I enlisted in the military, I never had the courage to actually pursue it. It was during my service as a cook in the army that I found my real conviction for cooking. After deliberating between a renowned Japanese culinary school and Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung Academy, I ultimately chose Le Cordon Bleu for its rich history and tradition.
What is the most memorable class or experience from your time as a student?
My instructor, Chef Laurent, was married to a Korean and had a deep understanding of Korean culture. Every one of his classes was wonderful, but the soufflé he made using his mother-in-law's doenjang — Korean fermented soybean paste — stands out the most. When he first described it, I couldn't even begin to imagine what a doenjang soufflé would taste like. 'Doenjang in French cuisine?' The idea seemed absurd. But it turned out to be one of the most delicious dishes I encountered at Le Cordon Bleu.
There's also a funny memory from that time. Le Cordon Bleu was extremely strict about punctuality. One day I took the wrong subway and arrived late to class. With no way to get in, I ended up taking the train all the way to Suwon to see the girl I was dating at the time. Looking back now, everything felt clumsy and uncertain then — but those emotions and moments still live in me as something young and full of energy. Even now, certain songs from that era bring the whole period flooding back. As for that girl — she's now my wife, and we're happily raising two children together. A real happy ending. She still laughs when she thinks back on that day and what it meant.
You studied cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu, yet you now run a dessert brand. Was there a particular turning point that led you toward pastry?
I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu thinking, 'I'm finally going to become a chef!' But in that very first class, we learned and tasted an entire menu — starter, main, and dessert — and the experience has stayed with me ever since. The cooking was excellent, of course, but it was the dessert that truly caught me off guard. The flavor left such a deep impression that, for the first time, I found myself wondering: 'Should I be a pastry chef instead of a cook?'
As I moved through the foundational, elementary, and intermediate courses, I kept going back and forth — some days dreaming of being a cook, other days dreaming of pastry — right up until graduation. So I decided to experience both worlds firsthand before making up my mind, and took a position at a place where I could work in both cooking and desserts. The more I worked, the more my heart pulled toward pastry. That's how I found my way here, quite naturally.
Looking back, the desserts I encountered in Le Cordon Bleu's classes were what quietly redirected the course of my career. That's why I genuinely believe that cooks should try learning pastry, and that pastry chefs should try their hand at cooking. The two fields may seem completely different, but the way you understand ingredients, the sense of balance in flavor, the instinct for composition — there's so much that connects them. I still feel that my cooking background is one of my greatest assets in the desserts I make today.
As a reminder never to forget cooking, I continue to make tarts to this day. To me, a tart isn't simply a dessert. It's more like a dish — my own filling, which is a form of cooking, placed on a tart shell that serves as the plate, then baked. That's the meaning I give it.
How do you feel your background in cuisine has influenced your dessert development and the way you run your brand?
When I first committed to the pastry path, I felt a great deal of anxiety. I was coming in without a formal pastry background, and I worried constantly about whether I could ever match someone who had trained in it directly. In the beginning, I struggled with nearly everything and honestly questioned whether my cooking training was helping at all.
But now, fourteen years into running the shop, I find myself more and more grateful for those years of cooking. When I break down fruit or prep ingredients, I can do it with a precision and speed that feels instinctive. And when I build a menu, I approach it the way a cook would — working from a single base, varying the sauce or technique to minimize waste and maximize range. I do the same with desserts: one base, different toppings; or combining different bases in new ways. That culinary logic is still very much alive in how I work.
What does a 'good dessert' mean to you?
To me, a good dessert is one that causes the least harm. No matter how fine the ingredients, desserts are rarely good for you — that's just the nature of what they are. Our shop's guiding idea is to be a space that anyone can enjoy comfortably, regardless of age or gender. True to that, I think a good dessert is one made with seasonal ingredients, kept gentle and unintimidating, so that everyone feels welcome to have it.
Seasonal ingredients were something I cared about even in my cooking days, and since HeungHeung Pastry started as an organic dessert shop, I've held onto certain non-negotiables: organic flour, seasonal produce, and no artificial coloring. That hasn't changed.
What food or dessert trends are you watching closely these days? And are there any trends you deliberately choose not to follow?
I make a conscious effort not to chase trends. To the point where, unless someone brings it up, I often have no idea what's currently popular. I believe it's more important to maintain my own framework and stay true to my own rules. I've watched too many places around me rise on the back of a trend and then disappear when it faded — and I have no desire to repeat that. If anything, I'd rather my products never become a trend at all.
That said — and I know this sounds a bit contradictory — while I don't concern myself with trends, I do try to stay aware of the broader current. On busy days, like weekends, there are sometimes queues outside the shop. I feel grateful for that, genuinely — but also a little anxious. I worry that we could vanish just as quickly as we appeared. So I ignore trends, but I try not to lose sight of the flow.
What are the advantages and limitations of growing a brand in a regional city like Cheongju?
When I returned to Cheongju after studying at Le Cordon Bleu, I started in a ten-pyeong personal studio and packaging shop called HeungHeung Jegwa Samusso. We sold tarts as our main item, alongside macarons, éclairs, choux, and baked goods. At the time, macarons were having a moment in Seoul, but there were almost no places selling them in Cheongju — so people were curious, and they came. We became something like the shop that sparked the macaron wave in Cheongju, and despite being tucked away in a hard-to-find location, people sought us out.
But I've always believed that trends eventually end, and right in the middle of the macaron peak, I relocated and made the decision to drop them — going back to my original plan of making tarts the centerpiece. In the first year after the move, a lot of customers were disappointed we no longer carried macarons. These days, though, HeungHeung Pastry and tarts feel almost synonymous. And thanks to visitors documenting their trips to Cheongju on social media, we're now getting people coming from well outside the region. That's what I see as the real strength of a local business.
We're not quite there yet, but when a shop becomes a regional landmark, it becomes part of how people picture a place — and that kind of association is a genuine advantage. The limitation, if I'm honest, is this: brands that break through in Seoul often go national almost overnight. For us, it's been difficult to expand beyond the local reach, and the information gap — even in an era where things feel more connected than ever — still feels significant.
You've received a great deal of attention through various media and social channels. What do you consider most important when it comes to branding?
I'm grateful that at least once or twice a year, I've been invited to appear on television programs or YouTube channels. I'm not particularly good at it, but unless it conflicts with the work or involves a paid placement, I try to say yes as much as I can. When I was first approached for a program called 'Bake Your Dream', I felt the weight of it — but it ended up being a fun shoot, and since it aired, many more people have found their way to us.
We're not a brand with major capital behind us, and we can't afford to invest heavily in advertising. That makes the kind words customers leave on social media — and the genuine interest from media outlets — feel incredibly valuable. More than anything, I think what matters most is that the image people have of us isn't something we manufactured. It's something that formed naturally, through the people around us. That kind of organic reputation is what I believe makes others feel: 'this is a brand worth trusting.' That's the thing I care about most.
I'm also grateful that being a Le Cordon Bleu alumnus carries a certain weight with people. When I do media appearances or interviews or take part in various outside activities, the Le Cordon Bleu connection often draws genuine interest — and it's become one of the most natural ways to introduce the brand. I carry real pride in the time I spent there and in everything I learned.
What advice would you most want to share with students and aspiring professionals who dream of working in food and dessert?
When I visit department store cultural centers or schools to give classes, there's something I always say and I know it can sound cold: 'Don't do it.' 'This is hard work. Don't walk into it lightly.' If you're drawn to it simply because it looks appealing, I tell them: 'Make it a hobby.'
From the outside, kitchen work might seem glamorous. But the kitchen is a battlefield. Every moment carries risk, and it's physical labor standing for at least ten hours a day. That said, if you hear all of this and still want to go for it: don't give up. Ever. Give it everything you have. And while you're still young, I'd encourage you to invest in proper, structured training somewhere like Le Cordon Bleu.
What are the next goals for Heung Heung Pastry and for you as a chef?
I keep a running list in my phone's notes of goals I want to reach within the next five years. I've been very lucky I'm grateful to say I've already accomplished many of them. But there's one I still haven't reached: publishing my own recipe book. I had a conversation with a publisher recently. Their last message was three weeks ago. I haven't heard back. I'll keep waiting. If anyone involved happens to be reading this please be in touch.
What does Le Cordon Bleu mean to you?
To me, Le Cordon Bleu is the place that gave me the dream of becoming a Pastry chef. Since middle school, cooking was everything I looked toward and lived for and yet even I had no idea I would end up not as a cook, but as someone who makes desserts. The very first dessert from my very first class was the taste and the moment that changed the direction of my life. I'm still grateful for it, every single day.
