Some people refer to him as an “author chef” but Park himself prefers the term “cook.” He has been visiting time-worn eateries since before they were collectively known as nopo (old restaurants) to write about the owners’ vivid testimonies and business philosophies. It has been nearly 10 years since he first started visiting and covering these classic restaurants. He published two volumes (Hundred Year Restaurants (2014) and How Old Restaurants Do Business (2018)), which are both lovingly detailed homages to these places that honor hard work, generosity, and reliably true recipes. These books inspired Seoul Metropolitan Government’s project Old Time Shops and contributed to the “new-tro” trend that swept Korean society and culture thanks to more attention paid to these old restaurants. Even as he heads to work in his kitchens every day, Park has managed to pen In Osaka, People Drink Standing Up; Menu of the Day: Seasonal Foods; Flavor Is Half of Our Memories; and The Chef of the Mediterranean Sun, among others. He writes columns for The Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun. He works at Locanda Mongro and Gwanghwamun Gukbap, located in Seogyo-dong and Gwanghwamun of Seoul, respectively.