Chef
Sang-Hoon Degeimbre
Chef & Proprietor, L'Air du Temps
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Liernu, Belgium
Known for
- Double Michelin-starred restaurant L'Air du Temps in Liernu, Belgium
- Cuisine blending Korean heritage with Belgian terroir and seasonal ingredients
- Philosophy of vegetable-forward, sustainable cooking rooted in short-circuit permaculture
- Sommelier expertise: twice vice-champion of Belgium
i. Biography
Born in Miryang, South Korea, and Belgian by nationality, Sang-Hoon Degeimbre works in a register where molecular gastronomy, foodpairing science, and farm-restaurant practice share the same bench. The craft depends on fresh ingredients, technology, and cultural exchange, with L'Air du Temps grounded by five hectares of vegetable and herb gardens. The useful tension is practical: laboratory precision has to answer to garden timing, and cultural memory has to survive contemporary method.
Formation
Formal hotel-school training gave the work its base: Sang-Hoon Degeimbre trained at École hôtelière de la province de Namur. The later direction moved beyond a standard classical frame, toward flavor connection, texture change, and identity handled through method rather than nostalgia. Since 1997, L'Air du Temps has been the primary workshop for this approach, with Degeimbre as owner. The restaurant’s vocabulary draws on molecular gastronomy, foodpairing science, and a biography crossing Korean and Belgian contexts. Technique is not treated as an end point; it is used to test how an ingredient behaves, how a pairing holds, and how cultural reference can be carried without becoming fixed decoration. Cultural transmission became an explicit part of the work from 2009, when Degeimbre served as Goodwill Ambassador of Korean Cuisine. Born in South Korea and Belgian by nationality, he works from a position shaped by translation between places, ingredients, and expectations. That position gives the cooking its working tension: controlled, but not closed. Restaurant-building became another form of practice in 2015, when Degeimbre founded SAN restaurants. The expansion extended the ideas developed at L'Air du Temps into another format while keeping the same concerns in view: craft, identity, and the movement of ideas between contexts.
The Practice Today
Ownership remains the working center: Degeimbre is owner of the restaurant in Liernu, Belgium. L'Air du Temps is a farm restaurant with five hectares of vegetable and herb gardens, so the site is part of the mise en place. The gardens supply locally sourced produce and set limits as well as opportunities for the kitchen. The restaurant’s craft is described through fresh ingredients and technology, including an ultrasound machine, with extensive gardens shaping the kitchen’s daily vocabulary. The relevant standard is not whether technology is visible, but whether it serves texture, aroma, and structure without taking authority away from the ingredient. Menu change follows the growing system rather than a fixed template. Seasons move, herbs shift, vegetables arrive in their own time, and the kitchen adjusts its work accordingly. Degeimbre puts it plainly: "We change our menu every six weeks. We’re like children, always excited to create the next new texture." The line is useful because it names both sides of the practice: disciplined technical work and the appetite to keep testing.
Signature
Signature dishes include Bossam. In this body of work, the dish belongs to a broader handling of Korean heritage, Belgian nationality, and contemporary kitchen form. Its role is not just referential; it shows how a named tradition can be carried into a practice shaped by place, produce, and technique.
Distinctions
Recognition arrived through Michelin Guide — first star for L'Air du Temps (2000) and Michelin Guide — second star for L'Air du Temps (2008). For the trade, those dates register sustained development at L'Air du Temps: a restaurant practice built around garden produce, technical tools, and a cross-cultural grammar held under control.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Sang-Hoon
Who is Sang-Hoon Degeimbre?
Sang-Hoon Degeimbre is owner of L'Air du Temps.
Where did Sang-Hoon Degeimbre train or study?
Sang-Hoon Degeimbre trained at École hôtelière de la province de Namur.
What recognition has Sang-Hoon Degeimbre received?
Michelin Guide — second star for L'Air du Temps (2008).
