Judy Joo - Updated Oct 2024

Judy Joo is a well-known American chef, writer, and television personality. Judy Joo is known as the host of Food Network’s “Korean Food Made Simple” and an Iron Chef UK and her restaurant Seoul Bird in London.

Early Life

On the 9th of December 1974, Judy Joo was born in Summit, New Jersey, in the United States of America. She is 49 years old and holds American nationality. She belongs to the Korean-American ethnicity and has a birth sign of Sagittarius. Similarly, she practices Christianity religion.

Caption: Judy Joo with her mother (Source: Instagram)

Nothing is known related to her parents, and early childhood life. She is quite private regarding her family life and does not like to share information with the public. As a child, she grew up watching her mother cook authentic Korean dishes which created an interesting passion for food and cooking. She grew up with her sister whose names is Sonya.

Judy Joo – Education

She received her high school diploma from a local high school in New Jersey. Later, she enrolled herself at Columbia University. From there, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.

Professional Career

Initially, Judy Joo started her career in the banking industry working at Goldman Sachs and then Morgan Stanley as an institutional fixed-income derivatives saleswoman.

She had an interest in cooking from a young and to fulfill her desire, she left her job as a saleswoman. And, she started working as a chef after attending The French Culinary Institute, (Pastry Arts) in 2004 and graduating at the top of her class. She then went to work for Saveur magazine, both in the test kitchens and in an editorial. Moreover, she also worked at Slow Food USA, where she founded their first inner city Slow Food in Schools program, “Harvest Time in Harlem.”

Caption: Judy Joo cooking food (Source: Kid Chef Eliana)

After this, she went to Lond and led her to restaurants, where she worked at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, including Maze, Petrus, Gordon Ramsay Restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, and The Boxwood Café.  As well as Joo has also completed “stages” in the restaurants The French Laundry and The Fat Duck. Later, she opened up her restaurant in London called “Jinjuu” in 2015 at Soho.

Television career and as an Author

After two years working in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant empire, she got the opportunity to become one of the four Iron Chefs in the UK. The success of her first season increased her television career and she was offered a role as a resident judge on The Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, and competed in the epic Battle Iron Chef UK vs. Iron Chef America making Judy the only participant to serve as a chef, judge, and challenger throughout the Iron Chef series.

Judy was approached by The Playboy Club with an opportunity to become their Executive Chef after making a name for herself as the only female Iron Chef UK. As Playboy’s Executive Chef, she created a menu that pays tribute to the brand’s American roots while echoing the dishes served in the glamorous 1960s.

She is the Armand de Brignac Champagne “Ace of Spades” brand ambassador, and she appears on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Best Thing I Ever Made, and Guy’s Grocery Games.

As an author, she published her first cookbook, “Korean Food Made Simple” by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (USA) and Jacqui Small Publishing (UK) in May 2016. It is a book about demystifying Korean food, making it more accessible to the home cook, and providing simple and creative ways to infuse Korean flavors into favorite Western dishes.

Awards

As an American chef, she has managed to win several awards. Official “Hansik” Food Ambassador- the Korean Food Foundation, Best Standalone Restaurant (Jinjuu Soho)- Bar and Restaurant Design Awards, Best Korean Restaurant (Jinjuu Hong Kong)- Tatler Magazine, Michelin Guide Plate (Jinjuu Soho) 2015-2018, Exceptional Travel and Hospitality Award- 21st Century Icon Awards are some of her awards and recognitions.

Judy Joo – Net Worth 2024

As a 49-year-old American chef, she has earned a good sum of money through her profession. Her net worth is around $7 million while her annual salary is still unknown at the moment. Mainly, she makes money as a chef, television judge, book,  and owner of the “Jinjuu” restaurant.

Relationship Status

Talking about her personal life, Judy Joo seems to be single and unmarried. In addition, she has not shared her relationship in public. It seems she is currently focusing on her professional chef work. In addition, there are no details regarding her past relations.

Meanwhile, this American chef and television personality is out of any kind of controversy and is fully focused on her career. Moreover, she likes to maintain a safe distance from such things and has a clean profile.

Body Measurements

Caption: Judy Joo posing for a photo (Source: Food Network)

Joo is a beautiful lady and has a charming face with a cute smile. Moreover, she stands 5 feet 6 inches tall (1.68 m) and her weight is average. She has long black hair and brown eyes and her other body stats are still unknown.

Social Media

On her Instagram page ‘@judyjoochef’ there are over 138k followers. Likewise, there are over 13.6k followers on her Twitter page ‘@JudyJooChef’ and over 172k followers on her Facebook page. Similarly, she has a self-titled YouTube channel where she usually posts videos related to cooking. As of writing, there are over 3.84k subscribers on her channel.