Little Fish Chef, Alex Yoon, has been chosen by Chef Jose Garces as the next culinary artist to take over the Volver kitchen on Kimmel Cultural Campus.
Chef Yoon’s residency will run from May 4 to June 12, 2022. However, his residency has been extended to celebrate Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month.
During each residency, customers will be able to donate to support the business of each individual chef.
Chef Yoon said that he will be using his donations to help fund a new restaurant concept he is planning on introducing to the Philadelphia area.
Chef Garces has created the residency program to help showcase the culinary talents of these local chefs.
“Extending our resources to help more chefs in the region is a dream come true. I’m grateful to the support the community has provided thus far and hope it continues with each chef as they all bring new talents to the table,” Garces said.
Chef Yoon stated that this is a huge accomplishment in his life and is excited to work alongside the Iron Chef.
“This opportunity is a dream come true,” said Yoon. “I have always admired Jose Garces as a Chef and restaurateur, and now for him to host me and let me present a menu at his restaurant is a dream come true. I am looking forward to my residency at Volver.”
The menu that Yoon will be creating are dishes that represent his culture.
“The menu I am presenting for this residency reflects some of the work that gave me this opportunity but also the direction I want to move forward in with Korean influences,” said Yoon. “I have gained recognition for cooking seafood but I wanted to show that I can bring more to the table.”
Some of his delicious dishes include, Grilled Octopus, created with a jalapeno kewpie glaze, cucumber, white soy, cilantro and roasted peanuts.
Another savory dish is Korean Fried Chicken and maitake mushroom fermented pepper sauce, mushroom rice, topped with charred scallions and soft boiled egg.
Donations can be made when the dinner check is presented.
The Garces Foundation will match up to the first $5,000, giving each resident chef the opportunity to raise at least $10,000.
The purpose of the Chefs in Residency Program is to highlight diverse restaurateurs of color, whose businesses once struggled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chef Yoon, who is a Philly native, first worked at Le-Bec-Fin, a seafood restaurant that was located on 15th and Walnut Street.
After Le Bec Fin, Yoon headed to Little Fish in Queen Village. The quaint corner restaurant was closed for a short period of time, but they are now open and are serving customers ala carte.