For JP and Ellia Park, Korean Cuisine Has Endless Possibilities
Observer ·
The Na:Eun Hospitality founders on Atoboy's 10-year anniversary, Somssi and New York's ever-evolving relationship with Korean cuisine.
Over the past 10 years, Junghyun “JP” and Ellia Park have brought Korean dining into the forefront of the New York City culinary scene. In July, the Na:Eun Hospitality founders celebrated a decade of Atoboy , the Korean restaurant they opened in 2016. To celebrate, they hosted ATO10, a 300-guest party at Radio Park that included culinary collaborations with local and international Korean chefs, including Dongsik Ok , Hoyoung Kim , Taesung Kim and Yongwook Yoo , as well as a partnership with Nongshim for the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun.
In June, they partnered with their longtime director of operations, Ahris Kim , to open Somssi . The 50-seat bistro at 79 MacDougal Street is Kim’s first restaurant as an owner, and features American food through a Korean lens.
The Parks also run Atomix , a fine-dining tasting counter in NoMad, which opened in 2018. It’s one of the most celebrated restaurants in the U.S., with two Michelin stars and three stars from The New York Times. This year, it ranked No. 12 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and No. 7 on North America’s 50 Best. The Parks also run Naro in Rockefeller Center and oversee culinary direction in partnership with Hand Hospitality at Seoul Salon.
This year, the Parks launched Nanro USA, the U.S. branch of the nonprofit Nanro Foundation, which is centered on preserving and expanding Korean food culture. As part of the initiative, U.S. chefs visit South Korea’s traditional markets, farmers, artisans and best-known restaurants.
JP and Ellia Park are both 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honorees. JP talked to Observer about the significance of Atoboy’s 10-year anniversary, partnering with Ahris Kim on Somssi and New York’s relationship with Korean cuisine.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
When we first opened Atoboy, we really didn’t know much about running a restaurant. Over time, we learned that operating a restaurant in New York is ultimately about building a team and creating a culture.
So much has changed over the past decade, from my approach to flavors to our interior design and pricing. But what has never changed is our desire to introduce Korean food from a new perspective, share how Koreans enjoy food and dining, and create memorable experiences for our guests.
Shin Ramyun is more than just instant noodles. It’s an iconic product that has helped introduce Korean food culture to people around the world.
In our own way, we’ve also tried to showcase the possibilities of Korean cuisine through Atoboy. Although our approaches are very different, we share the same ambition of bringing Korean food to a global audience. That made celebrating these two milestones together especially meaningful.
Ahris has been with us since the early days of Atoboy, and we’ve grown together over the years. We’ve witnessed her passion, leadership and genuine care for both people and food. We always believed she had the potential to become a great restaurant owner, and supporting her in bringing that dream to life means a lot to us.
We’ve never considered awards or rankings to be our ultimate goals. We see them as the results of our team’s hard work.
What matters most is making our food, service and restaurant better than they were yesterday. We constantly challenge ourselves, explore new ideas and question what we do. Rather than repeating past successes, we’re always thinking about what we can create next.
Korea’s restaurant scene is evolving at an incredible pace. A younger generation of chefs is embracing traditional Korean ingredients and techniques while expressing them in highly creative and individual ways.
Meanwhile, New York has become an increasingly difficult city for culinary experimentation because of the financial realities of operating a restaurant. I hope we can find ways to create an environment that allows more young chefs to take risks, explore original ideas and build something of their own.
Korean cuisine has an incredible depth that goes far beyond any single dish or style. There’s a strong sense of seasonality, a rich fermentation culture, and an extraordinary diversity of regional ingredients and cooking traditions.
I hope people continue to discover that Korean cuisine isn’t defined by one particular style, but is a rich culinary culture with endless possibilities.
We are the founders of Nanro, the organization behind this initiative.
Through this program, we want talented chefs working in the United States to develop a deeper understanding of Korean food culture. Beyond visiting well-known restaurants, we believe it’s important for them to experience traditional markets, meet farmers and artisans and discover the everyday food culture of Korea.
Our vision is long-term. If we can bring a few chefs to Korea every year and give them meaningful experiences, imagine the impact in 10 or 20 years. Many of these chefs may go on to lead some of America’s most influential restaurants, carrying with them a genuine appreciation for Korean cuisine. We believe this can naturally help broaden the presence and understanding of Korean food in the United States.