Soo Ahn

HOMETOWN: Seoul, South Korea and Tacoma, WA
CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: Chicago, IL
OCCUPATION/PROFESSION: Executive Chef, Adalina

Soo Ahn believes that food, at its best, is a culinary adventure and pushes boundaries in his cooking to offer unique concepts for guests to indulge in. He takes the drive and competitiveness he learned from his first career as a professional golfer and translates that into the kitchen. He finds inspiration through his grandmother’s traditional recipes, childhood snacks, fast food chains and travel experiences across the U.S., South America and Korea. After taking classes at Johnson & Wales University, Soo worked his way up through the fine dining scene in Chicago. At Band of Bohemia, he helped the team retain a Michelin star and ultimately served as Executive Chef.  Now, as the Executive Chef at Adalina, Soo and the team bring Italian favorites to Chicago’s Gold Coast, reimagining them using unique flavors and techniques. Within a year of being open, Adalina has attained multiple recognition from Eater Chicago for Best Dish and Best Meal, is one of the 38 Essential Restaurants in Chicago, and was nominated as the Best New Restaurant of the Year by the Jean Banchet Awards. Outside of the kitchen, he recently got married and still plays golf as much as possible, one day hoping to play with Thomas Keller, David Chang and Tiger Woods.