CHAE Expands Salt Storage for Traditional Korean Ferments

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Left: Project site

Right: Architect's impression

As a restaurant committed to making all traditional Korean ferments in-house, CHAE always requires a large amount of sea salt. On top of that, Korean cuisine demands extra-dry sea salt with minerals removed to enhance the texture and flavours of staples such as kimchi and 장 (jang, or Korean fermented condiments).

In the early days of CHAE, Chae's mother was an unwavering supporter, consistently supplying the restaurant with premium, dry salt from South Korea. However, with growing interest and support, CHAE has outgrown this supply. Now, CHAE is in a position to acquire sea salt on a much larger scale. This year, Chae plans to purchase 1 tonne of sea salt and store it in a new warehouse. The salt will undergo a year-long process of removing remaining moisture and minerals before being used in her kitchen.

The groundwork for building this shed has begun, with site manager Yoora digging up the ground where the shed will sit. "We are expecting the completion of construction sometime next week," says Yoora. This expansion marks a significant step in ensuring CHAE can continue to produce high-quality, traditional Korean ferments in-house.