Former singer Lee Ji-yeon’s BBQ restaurant named best in Georgia

An Heirloom Market barbecue platter. [FOOD AND WINE]

Former singer Lee Ji-yeon’s barbeque restaurant, Heirloom Market Barbecue, was named the Best Barbecue Restaurant in Georgia, by the American food magazine “Food and Wine” published on Sept. 3.

“Their Korean-style spicy pork sandwich is one of the city's iconic sandwiches,” the magazine said. “Pork is rubbed down with gochujang, gochugaru, smoked over hickory and oak, then served with crunchy kimchi pickles and slaw on a perfect, just-absorbent-enough potato bun.”

Making a debut at the age of 17 with a song “That Reason was a Pain to Me” in 1987, Lee became a teen idol with songs such as "I Still Don’t Know Love” (1987) and “Wind Please Stop Blowing" (1989).

After retiring in 1992, she immigrated to Atlanta permanently in 1999, became a chef and opened Heirloom Market Barbecue with her Texas-born husband Cody Taylor in 2010.

BY KIM YEON-AH [kim.yeonah@joongang.co.kr]