Around 2004, the year she turned 29, she took over Andongjip in Gyeongdong Market, the shop her mother started in the market. She says she was in her late 20s.
Around 2014, the year she turned 39, she opened the Korean restaurant Jeulgeoun Sulsang in Changdong, Dobong District, Seoul. In 2023, the year she turned 48, her Andong guksi shop in Gyeongdong Market was featured on TV Chosun’s Sikgaek Huh Young-man’s Baekban Gihaeng.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 49, she appeared on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars as the Black Spoon chef “Auntie Omakase #1” and became known. She finished sixth in the final episode, released on Oct. 8, and lines formed outside Andongjip in Gyeongdong Market. In November she said on Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 that she was revealing her name for the first time.
In 2025, she made Andong guksi on the Lunar New Year special of Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 and gave a cooking demonstration at the Samsung Welstory F&B Biz Festa in April. In September, her first cookbook, Imokase’s Happy Table, came out. That October, the soft opening of her Jeju restaurant aired on Same Bed, Different Dreams 2, and on the 26th she opened Badasulsang in Hallim-eup, Jeju. She also appeared on KBS1 Achim Madang.
In 2026, she appeared on tvN Yongyeo Hankki and Amazing Saturday, and joined tvN Street Restaurant Fighter, which began in June, before being eliminated in episode 9 in August.
Kim Mi-ryeong (born 1975) took over Andongjip in Gyeongdong Market around 2004, the year she turned 29, and became known when she appeared as “Auntie Omakase #1” on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars on Sep 17, 2024, the year she turned 49. She published her first cookbook in 2025, the year she turned 50.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Kim Mi-ryeong when she became famous?
- In 2024, the year she turned 49, she appeared as “Auntie Omakase #1” on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and became known. Joynews24 writes that the cast became stars and that Chef Kim Mi-ryeong of Imokase was among those who rose to stardom. Her shop had also been featured on TV Chosun’s Baekban Gihaeng in 2023.
- How old was Kim Mi-ryeong when she started cooking?
- She helped at her mother’s noodle shop in Gyeongdong Market from her teens and took the shop over in her late 20s (around 2004, the year she turned 29). She says she was never formally trained. The articles do not give the exact year.
- Where did Kim Mi-ryeong place on Culinary Class Wars?
- Kyunghyang Shinmun writes that she finished sixth overall. She passed the restaurant mission released on Oct 1, 2024 to reach the top eight, and the final episode was released on Oct 8, 2024. Some outlets, such as Women’s News, say she was among the last six.
- What restaurants does Kim Mi-ryeong run?
- She runs Andongjip, an Andong guksi shop in Gyeongdong Market, Seoul, and Jeulgeoun Sulsang, a Korean restaurant in Changdong, Dobong District, Seoul. On Oct 26, 2025 she opened Badasulsang in Hallim-eup, Jeju City.
- How old is Kim Mi-ryeong?
- Born in 1975, she turns 51 in 2026 (50 to 51 as of Oct 3, 2026; her birthday is not confirmed).