Chef Peter Cho
Born in Korea and raised in Springfield, Oregon, I grew up in a home where food was always at the center of family life. My mother filled our kitchen with homemade Korean dishes, and my father introduced us to the woods—teaching us to forage for mushrooms and serving his once-a-year stewed goat that I still remember vividly.
My first experiences in restaurants were modest—working summer jobs at McDonald’s and Kenny Rogers Roasters during high school—but I didn’t see cooking as a career just yet. I studied Fine Arts at the University of Oregon, focusing on traditional and 3D animation, before moving to New York in 2002, where my brother had relocated through Teach for America.
In New York, I worked odds and ends—including delivering groceries for Whole Foods in Chelsea—until reading Kitchen Confidential sparked something in me. I decided to enroll in culinary school. On my way to apply at the French Culinary Institute, I walked past The Spotted Pig and was drawn in. I asked if they were hiring, cooked a tasting for April Bloomfield, and was brought on as a commis. I worked my way up over the years and eventually became the opening chef of The Breslin at the Ace Hotel in 2009. I continued on as culinary director, supporting restaurant openings and various external projects.
In late 2013, everything shifted. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and I returned home to Oregon to help with her care. My wife Sun and I decided to stay. Our first son, Elliott, was born in early 2015, and shortly after that, we found the space that became Han Oak. We began as a two-night-a-week supper club, hosting pop-ups and collaborations, slowly growing into a full restaurant and private event space.
In 2020, we opened Toki in downtown Portland, which ran for three years. In 2023, drawn to the wood-fired hearth and whole-animal butchery setup of the former Renata space, we opened Jeju, a Korean steakhouse rooted in family memory, fire, and communal celebration.
Next year marks 10 years of Han Oak—a milestone that represents family, community, and the evolution of what Korean-American cooking can be.