The “Rachel Ray of Taiwan,” Sammeh Choi, has been visiting the Midcoast area for the past month, spending time with her daughter, artist Hanji Chang, a resident of Lincolnville. Sammeh is known in Taiwan for her cooking show, “Temple of the Mountain Taste” on the Buddha Compassion TV station, where she teaches traditional Korean vegetarian cuisine.

Recently we were fortunate enough to be able to host a dinner planned and prepared under the direction of Sammeh. It was quite a change for our French trained kitchen and took days of preparation while we hunted down the ingredients and tested the dishes (which we especially enjoyed!).

Our Executive Chef Lawrence Klang, sharing a moment with Sammeh before dessert is served.

Guests knew they were in for a special evening, lions greeted them at the top of the stairs and beautiful paper lanterns, made by Sammeh herself, decorated all of the tables.

A lion to greet the dinner guests

Everyone feasted on dishes that are perhaps impossible to otherwise find in Maine. The evening began with passed Korean BBQ chicken, tofu egg rolls and pearl meatballs, steamed minced pork rolled in sweet rice. Plenty of oohs and aahs filled the room as people enjoyed the appetizers.

Other dishes included Korean Sushi and warm Steamed Shrimp Meatball in Cucumber, a Tea Egg, served wrapped in a banana leaf, plum tea with a Chinese date in the bottom, and bulgogi, which provided everyone with an opportunity to use their hands as they wrapped the bulgogi, daikon kimchee and traditional kimchee.

The dining room burst into well-deserved applause when Sammeh stepped out of the kitchen just before dessert. We were all surprised to learn that when she goes out to eat she enjoys McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken! Her love of finer food was apparent to all present and she actually thanked everyone for coming and providing her with the opportunity to cook for the group. We all hope she returns again soon and we are already looking forward to another feast, perhaps an entirely vegetarian Korean dinner, based on her cooking show in Taiwan.

For dessert, we served sweet red bean soup and sweet green bean dumpling steamed in pine needles with a small glass of Wu long tea. Everyone left feeling content, lingering in the doorway to talk to one another about their interests in Chinese and Korean food, the food they had sampled that evening, and meals they had enjoyed in other far parts of the world.

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