Chef Hu Deok-juk: "When the late Lee Byung-chul asked, 'How many grains of rice are in this?' I knew I was recognized, and my life changed"

[The Financial News] Chef Hu Deok-juk appeared on a TV show and spoke about how the Chinese restaurant Palsun at The Shilla Seoul once faced the risk of closing in its early days. He also recounted an episode involving the late Samsung Group founder and chairman Lee Byung-chul, describing what happened at the time.
Chef Hu Deok-juk appeared as a guest on the January 21 episode of the tvN variety show You Quiz on the Block.
On the show, Chef Hu explained how he studied cooking in Japan for two years and then joined Palsun as one of its founding members.
He said, "I joined on November 1, 1977," recalling his exact start date. Palsun at The Shilla Seoul opened with the goal of surpassing Taoyuen at THE PLAZA Seoul, Autograph Collection, which was then considered the top Chinese restaurant in Korea. However, it is said that Palsun failed to reach the number one spot during its first two years of operation.
In response, the late chairman Lee Byung-chul ordered Palsun to be shut down. Chef Hu recalled, "Samsung Group’s management philosophy is about being number one, so if you are not in first place, it is better not to do it at all." He continued, "At that time, I was the sous-chef. The head chef above me resigned, and I ended up taking over as head chef."
He went on, "Chairman Lee Byung-chul’s eldest daughter served as an advisor to the hotel. After tasting the food, she said, 'The food at Palsun has changed,' and told the chairman, 'You should come again and try it.'" Responding to his daughter’s repeated requests, Lee returned to taste Palsun’s dishes once more and then withdrew his order to close the restaurant. Within a year, Palsun rose to become number one in the industry.
After that, Chef Hu went on to become the first chef in Korea to rise to an executive position at a major corporation.
Chef Hu recalled, "Chairman Lee Byung-chul really enjoyed food and knew a great deal about it. He was famous for saying, 'How many grains of rice are in a single piece of sushi?' Chefs just make the dish; we never even imagine how many grains of rice go into it." He added, "At that moment I thought, 'Ah, I’ve been recognized,' and that was when my life shifted completely toward being a chef."

hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter