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Sunjae (Korean: 선재; born 1956) is a Jogye Order Buddhist nun and chef of Korean cuisine.[1] Sunjae, who is known as Korea’s “first master of temple cuisine“, promotes Korean cuisine internationally.[2] She appeared on numerous television programs, including as a competitor on the second season of Culinary Class Wars.[2]

Early life and education

Sunjae was born in Suwon, the capital of Gyeonggi Province, in 1956.[3] Raised as an Anglican, she converted to Buddhism at 18 after hearing a monk speak at a temple.[3] After working as a civil servant for several years, she left home in 1980 to join the Sinheungsa temple and to focus on temple cuisine.[3][1] She was ordained as a nun in 1981.[3]

In 1994 Sunjae earned a bachelors degree from the Buddhist Joong-ang Sangha University with a thesis entitled “A Cultural Review of Temple Food”.[1]

Career

She is known professionally as Sunjae Sunim, often translated as Venerable Sunjae (or Seonjae). As a writer, she has adopted the pen name “Mayul”, meaning “to become the basis”.[4]

Sunjae describes food as medicine, and credits her temple diet for curing her liver cirrhosis.[4][5][6]

In 2018 she was selected to lead the Korean Food Promotion Institution, and she travels around the world speaking about Korean cuisine.[4][7] Sunjae emphasizes similarities between Buddhist food traditions and Europe’s Slow Food movement.[8] She stepped down from the institution in 2021.[9]

In 2025–2026 she appeared as a “white spoon” in the second season of the Netflix cooking competition, Culinary Class Wars.[2] In 2026 she also appeared in The Chefs of the Temple Kitchen, which streamed on Wavve.[6]

Works

  • Venerable Sunjae’s Temple Food (Korean: 선재 스님의 사찰음식), 2005, ISBN 9788970419176
  • Temple Cuisine Seasoned with the Stories of Venerable Sunjae (Korean: 선재 스님의 이야기로 버무린 사찰음식), 2011, ISBN 9788974795962
  • What Do You Eat to Live? (Korean: 당신은 무엇을 먹고 사십니까), 2016, ISBN 9788974793357[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Kim Ji-soo (20 January 2017). “Practice through food: Ven. Sunjae”. The Korea Times.
  2. ^ a b c LeGardye, Quinci (17 December 2025). “What to Know About the ‘Culinary Class Wars’ Season 2 Finalists Before the Finale”. Marie Claire. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d Park Min-young (2 September 2011). “Buddhist nun teaches how to live better on temple food”. The Korea Herald.
  4. ^ a b c “The Attraction of Korean Food: Interview with Venerable Sunjae”. The Sungkyun Times (in Korean). 11 May 2019.
  5. ^ Moon, Grace (15 May 2024). “A Korean feast that honours Buddha’s birth”. BBC. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  6. ^ a b “Venerable Sunjae’s Temple Food Recovery in ‘The Chefs of the Temple Kitchen’“. The Chosun Daily. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  7. ^ Kim Ji-soo (3 April 2018). “Ven. Sunjae, master of temple food, to head Korean Food Promotion Institute”. The Korea Times.
  8. ^ Carratura, Vincenzo Acampora (8 November 2018). “Interview with Ven. Sunjae, master of Korean temple food”. Korea.net. Government of Korea. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  9. ^ Hae-yeon, Kim (9 August 2021). “Yim Kyeong-sook appointed head of Korean Food Promotion Institute”. The Korea Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2026.