“Temple food is not just food making but is one way of practising,” the Venerable Jeongkwan said during a ceremony to mark the awarding of the master title. “I believe this nature (of temple food) is getting much attention from people in other countries.”

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‘Cooking sets one’s mind free’: Zen Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan’s Korean temple food philosophy

‘Cooking sets one’s mind free’: Zen Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan’s Korean temple food philosophy

Venerable Wookwan said: “I’ll keep devoting myself to the development of temple food.”

Jeong Kwan, the head of Cheonjin hermitage within Baekyang Temple in South Jeolla province, has participated in dozens of temple-food-related events. Since 2011, she has been giving lectures at the Institute of Korean Temple Cuisine.

Korean nuns Wookwan (left) and Jeong Kwan (right) right, pose with the Venerable Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, at the order’s headquarters in central Seoul on June 2 after being named Masters of Korean Temple Food by the order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect. Photo: courtesy of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism

She appeared on the US TV show Avec Eric in 2015 and starred in an episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table series in 2016.

Wookwan is the head of Mahayeon Temple Food Cultural Centre in Icheon, Gyeonggi province. She was invited to present temple food by the Korean Cultural Centre New York every year from 2017 to 2019, and has written English-language cookery books about Korean temple cuisine.