Anh Sung-jae (Korean: 안성재), also professionally known as Sung Anh, is a South Korean chef. His restaurant, Mosu, was awarded three Michelin stars for 2023 and 2024.[4] He was one of the two judges for the 2024 Netflix cooking contest Culinary Class Wars.[5][6]
Anh was born in South Korea but moved to the United States in 1993 at the age of 12.[7] He grew up in California where his parents ran a Chinese restaurant. He enlisted in the US Army after high school, and after the September 11 attacks and the start of the Iraq War, asked to serve in Iraq.[7] Anh served as a mechanic, where he helped fuel combat vehicles like helicopters and tanks.[7] After his Army service, Anh was set to attend mechanic school to become a Porsche mechanic. After seeing a group of culinary school students walk by in chef coats, however, Anh changed course and enrolled in culinary school.[7][8]
After graduating from culinary school, Anh began working at Urasawa, where he washed dishes after volunteering to work without pay.[7] Within a month, Anh was working closely with the head chef and owner, and was working behind the counter.[7] He then moved to work for chef Corey Lee, the head chef at The French Laundry, a Michelin three star restaurant. Lee then placed Anh at another of his restaurants, Benu, which also had a Michelin three stars rating.
In 2016, Anh left Benu and founded his own restaurant in San Francisco, Mosu.[7] The restaurant earned one Michelin star in its first year, despite a review from the San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Bauer that felt the food was "still in the development stage" and commented on its high initial price.[9] Mosu was consistently booked during its run in the city.[7]
After a year of operating Mosu in the United States, Anh decided to move the restaurant to Seoul, South Korea.[7] Upon opening Mosu in Korea, he priced the menu 30% higher than the city's previous most expensive multi-course meal, and it earned three Michelin stars in 2023, the only restaurant in South Korea with the distinction.[7] In 2024, Mosu announced its temporary closure, with Anh saying to The Chosun Daily about his coordination with CJ Group, his investment partner in the restaurant, "Our visions didn't align, so I decided to part ways. I'm currently working on a new restaurant with a different partner, not a large corporation, that better matches my vision."[10]
His style of fine dining is a fusion of Asian cooking with Korean fermented ingredients presented in the classic mode of French haute cuisine.[11] In 2024, he won a Chefs' Choice Award - an accolade of his peers across Asia.[12]
