East Village Goes To Temple

The East Village Goes to Temple

Leading the East Village’s new cuisine frontier is restaurateur Jenny Maeng with her well received Korean treasure Korean Temple. Opened in 2003 as her first venture in the restaurant business, Korean Temple has established itself as a favorite among locals.

When most New Yorkers think Korean, the stereotypical grand Korean Palaces of midtown’s Koreatown come to mind. According to Maeng, although these are a part of what Korea offers, she believes Korean dining could take on a more stylish and modern approach.

Maeng has remained true to simple principles that she believes has enabled her to succeed in what many consider the most competitive restaurant geography in the city.

Maeng believes that NYC’s East Village is ready to embrace Korean cuisine, and its trend setting population will be instrumental in the proliferation of Korean cuisine much like Chinese and Japanese in the past. This is Maeng’s overall goal…with Korean competition popping up on nearby blocks, she may be well on her way to achieving it.

Maeng believes that there are three elements that have led to your success. Offer authentic Korean cuisine. Inspire staff by example. Always treat the details like they are the main attraction.

Not only does Maeng’s beautiful smile welcome the guests and grace the front of the house, but she is the brainchild behind the menu development. During her normal 12-14 hour day, Maeng spends at least a third of that time re-creating the indigenous flavors that keep patron’s palates pleasantly surprised, and the other two thirds ensuring that in between every delicious bite, everything else is perfect.

Unlike many others, Maeng elects to hire servers with little or no prior experience. Reason being she says, “there are less bad habits to overcome in training.” Her philosophy is to lead and inspire her staff by her own example. Not and easy task, but an extremely effective communication method especially in a business where the intangible attributes can be most important.

One method to help achieve this has been her ability to create symphony in service among all employees. Maeng instills a strong of teamwork by empowering the staff with a feeling of ownership. By focusing on details from food to tiny adjustments in décor customers are reassured of Maeng’s presence even if not in plain sight.

Overall, Korean Temple demonstrates once again that the East Village is the nucleus of NYC’s restaurant evolution and newly crowned restaurateurs like Maeng are fueling the growth.