Event spotlights Korea's culinary achievements and discusses hiring people with disabilities in the restaurant industry

Winners pose for a photo at the La Liste 2027 Korea Awards held at Paradise City in Incheon on Monday. [Paradise Group]
Winners pose for a photo at the La Liste 2027 Korea Awards held at Paradise City in Incheon on Monday. [Paradise Group]

Paradise Group announced Wednesday that it successfully hosted the La Liste 2027 Korea Awards and the Next Gastronomy Korea 2026 forum.

La Liste is a France-based culinary guide that evaluates restaurants, hotels and pastry shops in more than 200 countries. The awards ceremony, held Monday at Paradise City in Incheon, announced Korean restaurants selected for the global top 1,000 and the recipients of special awards.

Among the Korean restaurants selected were Mingles, led by Chef Kang Min-goo, and Mosu, represented by Chef Oh Jong-il, who attended by proxy. Special awards went to Jueun (Chef Park Ju-eun) and Bonyeon (Chef Bae Gyeong-jun) for Talent of the Year, Maison Jo (Chef Jo Woo-ram) for the Artisan and Master Award, and Hansik Gonggan (Chef Cho Hee-sook) for the Honorary Award.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, the Next Gastronomy Korea 2026 forum was also held. Paradise Group, La Liste, culinary content platform Metizen and the Korea-Europe think tank KEY jointly organized the event. Discussions centered on extending hospitality shown to guests toward colleagues, and on creating job roles, training and working environments that allow each person to draw on their individual strengths.

The first session featured Guillaume Gomez, former executive chef of the Élysée Palace; Amaury Bouhours, executive chef of Le Meurice Alain Ducasse; Vicky Cheng, owner-chef of VEA and WING in Hong Kong; and Supaksorn "Ice" Jongsiri, owner-chef of Sorn in Thailand. The panelists discussed restaurant leadership and approaches to nurturing talent.

Gomez spoke about his experience working alongside employees with disabilities, saying that "the process of providing more detailed guidance to them had a positive effect on the way our colleagues work as well."

The second session brought together Dr. Jang Dong-sun; Woo Chang-yun, director of WIM Clinic; Yoon Hwa-young, head chef and representative of Fredmoi; and Im Jeong-taek, chief executive of His Beans. The panelists agreed that the value of gastronomy can extend beyond everyday wellness to encompass the growth of the people who prepare food.

At the forum, Paradise framed the employment of people with disabilities not as an act of charity but as a challenge of discovering talent and creating sustainable jobs in the restaurant industry. Through the Paradise Welfare Foundation, Paradise has carried out education, awareness and cultural and arts programs for people with disabilities for more than 30 years.

"We will work to create opportunities for more people to showcase their talents, work together and grow, so that gastronomy can contribute to our society," a Paradise Group official said.

Speakers take part in a roundtable discussion at the Next Gastronomy Korea 2026 forum held at Paradise City in Incheon on Monday. [Paradise Group]
Speakers take part in a roundtable discussion at the Next Gastronomy Korea 2026 forum held at Paradise City in Incheon on Monday. [Paradise Group]

spa@heraldcorp.com