Chef Jinhee got under the covers with Sleepenvie to chat about her recent Top Chef Canada stint, her favourite late night snacks and brunch recipe.
“At Foreign Concept in Calgary, owner Duncan Ly and his executive chef, Jinhee Lee, pull from their overseas roots – which are in Vietnam and South Korea, respectively – to create a menu that takes traditional dishes and iconic ingredients from these countries to a more modern level.”
– Dan Clapson, Globe and Mail
“Aly Velji designed restaurant Foreign Concept with a nod to the past. Foreign Concept may have just opened this past December, but the restaurant feels steeped in history. Fitting, given the menu by chef and owner Duncan Ly takes its cues from a specific time and place: colonial Vietnam”
– Gabrielle Lakusta, Western Living Magazine
“Calgary chef Jinhee Lee was crowned the culinary queen Saturday after claiming gold at this year’s Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna. The executive chef at Calgary’s newest pan-Asian restaurant, Foreign Concept, Lee took along restaurant owner Duncan Ly as her sous chef for the competition. Not only was Lee the first Calgary chef to win the culinary battle since 2006, she is also the second woman ever to take first place.”
– Anna Brooks, Calgary Herald
“Canada is home to plenty of culinary talent, but these three emerging chefs are the ones to watch as they chart the country’s foodie future. Chef Jinhee Lee grew up in Korea and moved to Calgary to become an accountant. She didn’t tell her parents she’d made the switch to theculinary arts program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology until she’d graduated and worked her way up to be executive chef at Raw Bar in the Hotel Arts.”
– Julie Van Rosendaal, The Globe and Mail
“Whether you have a night or a week in Calgary, you won’t want to miss Foreign Concept, chef Duncan Ly’s love letter to creative, modern Pan-Asian cuisine.”
– Andrea Karr, Reader’s Digest Best Health
“Chef Duncan Ly’s stylish Pan-Asian restaurant incorporates flavours and techniques from several Asian cuisines to create a true sense of fusion.”
– Elizabeth Chorney Booth, WestJet Magazine
“An absolute must-order here are the imperial rolls, as this classic Vietnamese dish is virtually impossible to find in Calgary. The golden and crispy pork-filled rolls with crisp romaine leaves, noodles and nuoc cham make their standard spring-roll relatives seem infinitely dull.”
– Dan Clapson, Globe and Mail
