Chef LaMara Davidson

THE CORNBREAD & KIMCHI™ FOUNDER ON HER ROOTS AND HOW BELOVED SOUTHERN AND KOREAN COMFORT FOODS INSPIRED HER SEOULFOOD CREATIONS.

From her food creations to her background story, everything about Chef LaMara Davidson stands out. The culinary creative is the daughter of a Black-American father and a South Korean mother and says she was made in Korea, born in New York City, and raised in Atlanta. She grew up eating both Southern and Korean foods, and through her offerings, you discover the magic acquired from her paternal grandmother’s kitchen, and the Seoul food made by her mother, all in one.

“My mother left Korea with my father in 1971 when I was born. She’s always been a great cook,” Davidson tells ESSENCE. “She learned how to cook American dishes from my paternal grandmother and my aunts, so she makes collard greens and other Southern dishes.”