OUR TEAM

Esther Choi

Esther Choi is an influential Chef driven by her Korean roots and is chef/owner of mŏkbar and mŏkbar Brooklyn, as well as chef/partner of Ms. Yoo. Inspired by the age-old technique of her Korean grandmother’s cooking, Chef Esther believes that food is the ultimate expression of a country’s culture. With a personal passion for introducing New Yorkers to the flavors of Korean culture, Chef Esther’s cooking combines traditional and modern influences with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Esther began her professional education at the early age of 14. Her formal training as a chef began at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), followed by various positions at New York City’s renowned ilili and La Esquina, as well as that of the Food Network. Esther was the host of Eater’s video series “Kitchen Gadgets”, where she channeled her cooking prowess and demonstrated compelling Korean dishes and flavors, garnering over 50 million views. She has appeared in numerous Food Network shows such as co-hosting “Beat Bobby Flay” a judge on “Chopped” as well as the show “Money Hungry” and “Throwdown with Michael Symon”. Host on “Chopped 420”, and guest judge on “Battle of the Brothers”. She guest-starred in HBO’s “Selena + Chef” alongside Selena Gomez. Finally, Esther is a challenger chef and finalist in the Netflix hit show “Iron Chef: Quest for the Iron Legend”.

Esther was named a “Zagat 30 under 30” in 2015 and NYC Culinary Rockstar. Her praised restaurant, mŏkbar was acclaimed as the Village Voice’s 2014 Reader’s Choice “Best New Restaurant” and was awarded “Best Kimchi” in 2015 by Epoch Taste. Among her other enterprises, Zagat declared Ms. Yoo as one of the city’s hottest new restaurants, while Thrillist dubbed it the best place to eat during a Lower East Side bar crawl. In 2020-21, Esther was a host and producer of two podcasts. iHeartRadio’s ‘Get down w/Ktown’, where she dive into the rich world of Korean-American culture. And the Food52 Podcast Network “Hot Offline”, a call-in show where she tackles burning questions for home cooks.

Her newest Mokbar opened in Midtown Manhattan in the Fall of 2021, and has began expanding into food halls starting with Le Fantome in Riverdale MD.

Sessy- Premium CBD Sesame oil

Chef and restaurateur Esther Choi, Owner of NYC’s Mokbar, Recently launched Sessy, a new CBD-infused toasted sesame oil. Created in Partnership with Pot d’Huile, Sessy contains 250mg of hemp-derived CBD per bottle, combining the distinctive toasty, nutty flavor of sesame oil with the healing and calming properties of CBD. Sesame oil is a major ingredient in everyday Korean cooking, just a teaspoon or two adds a rich burst of flavor to any recipe, from vegetables, marinades, stir-fry sauces, and even baked goods. Esther has used CBD every day for several years for its wide range of wellness benefits and looks forward to sharing a piece of her Korean culture in CBD form. Sessy is available for purchase online, here ($36)

JIN JANG

Jin Jang, Director of Operations, started her culinary pursuit in Seoul, Korea, where she was born. Watching her grandparents grow vegetables and foraging for herbs in the mountains fueled her love for home-style Korean food. Once Jin moved to the states, it took some time to adjust to the American style. Being from an immigrant family, Jin understood her mother's need to work and being too tired to pack lunches. With the knowledge from her halmoni, harabuji, and the creativity of a chef early on in her career, she began to make her lunch from simple kimchi and rice to more evolved Korean dishes. Jin had various career choices and ideas that ranged from being a florist to a lawyer. However, the deciding factor wasn't until the Thanksgiving of her freshman year of high school. Watching her family and friends enjoy her food gave way to the passion of becoming a chef.

After graduating from high school, she attended Drexel University under the Culinary/Hospitality program. Shortly after entering college, Jin took the initiative to pursue her education outside of the classroom and to gain real-world experience. After opening her food truck, KAMI, it ran from 2012 to 2016 until she decided to sell her business and became the manager of Spot Gourmet Burgers.

Her success piqued the interest of Esther Choi, and a few months later, she moved to New York to become the Chef de Cuisine of Mokbar. In only a year, she rose to the role of Director of Operations to oversee all Mokbar restaurants from behind the scenes. Jin still cooks for the masses with Esther Choi and Il Ji Cheung for catering and significant events.

IL JI CHEUNG

ILJI Cheung is a passionate Korean chef with an impressive resume to back her knowledge in Korean cuisine. Growing up in Seoul, Korea, she studied at Baehwa and graduated with a bachelor’s in Traditional Korean cuisines and Franchise business. Shortly after IlJI took a year internship in 2009 to learn and understand fine western dining. She expanded her horizons in the culinary world and concluded that it was Korean cuisine that she truly loved and felt the most passionate about.

Growing up in a large family household with a halmoni who enjoyed hosting family gatherings, ILJI spent most of her childhood in the kitchen with her family. She grew to understand the history and love that went into making traditional Korean cuisine. Exciting and invigorating to give every dish the care and respect it deserved as the women in her family had done before her.

Her umma had given her the drive to pursue her culinary passion further and go back to the states to learn from the talented chef at Jungsik. There she acquired the credentials and understanding of Korean/French fusion. She went on to become the Executive Head Chef at Ms. Yoo decided to revise the menu and add more traditional Korean flavors and later become the Head Chef at Mokbar in Brooklyn. She now is the Culinary Director of all of Chef Esther Choi’s operations which include Mokbar, Ms.yoo, and special private events.