Haenyeo

Holding their breath for two to three minutes at a time while diving to depths of 30-40 feet, these tough-as-nails women free-divers bear the elements year-round to harvest seafood and seaweed. The iron spirit, precision in craft, and devotion to the community of these Korean matriarchs inspired us. Haenyeo Restaurant is our homage to these remarkable women. At Haenyeo's helm is restauranteur and chef Jenny Kwak. A true pioneer in demystifying Korean cuisine, Jenny introduced authentic Korean home cooking to downtown's hip East Village, with Dok Suni's ("strong women" named after her mother), and to the West Village with DoHwa.