Sky Haneul Kim

The Climb

Training at Johnson & Wales University gave Sky Haneul Kim the technical base that now reads in a kitchen style marked by control and precision. As Head Chef of Gift Horse, she works from a position shaped by structure and accumulation rather than flash: each step in the path sharpens the one before it, and the result is a practice that looks settled without ever going slack.

Today

The work is built on repetition and control: fry, smoke, ferment, braise, salt, wrap, cool, and dress. Kim has said, “I love to do something that brings back memories,” and that idea runs through the food. Technique is used here as a carrier for recall, with dishes that land as familiar forms before shifting into another register. That shift often comes through local seafood and a measured change in context. Naengmyeon with salted squid is the clearest example. Kim has said the ingredient is one that would never be eaten with the noodles in Korea. The dish keeps its structure intact and adds a briny Rhode Island note, changing the bite without disturbing the form. Other plates show the same method at different scales. Fried rice cakes with braised whelk, mozzarella, and kimchi cream bring shellfish, dairy, heat, and chew into a single plate, with each element holding its place. Smoked scallops in a split-top brioche with cilantro mayo and pickles move through smoke, sweetness, herbs, acid, and soft bread in another register. Both were cited among the dishes that secured her James Beard win, and both show how Kim works between comfort and surprise without losing the line of the dish.

Signature

Sky's signature dishes include fried rice cakes with braised whelk, mozzarella and kimchi cream, smoked scallops in a split-top brioche with cilantro mayo and pickles, naengmyeon, and Skate Wing Ssam.

In Their Words “I love to do something that brings back memories.” “I loved my grandma’s food. I wanted to learn what she does.”

Recognition

Sky's honors include James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northeast.