[Vol. 35 Magazine] Zero-Nate by TU Dental, Chosen by Chefs Yoon Dae-hyun and Kim Hee-eun

Hello,

This is TU Dental, here to bring you smiles! ^^

The Michelin one-star chef couple Yoon Dae-hyun and Kim Hee-eun, who are in charge of the taste of Seoul with Soul.

Just as they handle the details of ingredients, they also believed the details of facial expressions matter.

For a cleaner “chef’s smile,” Yoon Dae-hyun and Kim Hee-eun chose Zero-Nate.

We asked them about the changes they experienced at TU Dental.

Q1. Please introduce yourselves.

A. Hello, we are Chef Kim Hee-eun and Chef Yoon Dae-hyun, who run “Soul Dining” and “Egg & Flower” in Haebangchon.

Q2. What led you to choose “Zero-Nate”?

<Yoon Dae-hyun> It started when I asked a close chef friend, whose teeth looked so beautiful, “How do you take care of them?”

The answer was “Zero-Nate,” and that’s how we came to visit after being introduced.

<Kim Hee-eun> I believe a good impression comes from a smile, whether it is a big smile or a faint one.

Since my job is to welcome guests, I wanted to smile brightly and confidently, so I decided to go with Zero-Nate.

Q3. As chefs, were there moments when you needed to manage your expressions?

<Yoon Dae-hyun> There are many moments that are difficult and painful every day, but the moment you show that on your face, the service and atmosphere of that day fall apart.

So no matter the situation, during service, I think we should always manage our expressions like actors on stage, and that even if someone makes a mistake, it is truly professional to move past it without making that mistake obvious. So I’d say I manage my expressions almost all the time.

Q4. When the camera zooms in, have you ever felt self-conscious about your expression or smile as a chef?

<Kim Hee-eun> During the filming of “Culinary Class Wars Season 2,” there was a moment when the faces of the White Spoon chefs were revealed, and I thought I had made a pretty cool expression.

But later, the writer contacted me and said, “Chef, please relax your expression a little. We’ll make it softer.”

Hearing that, I realized, “I’m not angry, but I guess I could look that way.” That’s when I thought I should practice smiling naturally more.

Q5. What was the biggest change after the procedure?

<Kim Hee-eun> Definitely my smile. Before, I used to cover my teeth when I laughed or avoid eye contact, but now I can smile while looking people in the eye, thinking, “I’m confident in my teeth!”

Q6. What similarities do you see between cooking and Zero-Nate?

<Yoon Dae-hyun> Even ingredients of the same type vary in condition each time. Teeth are the same. Some are triangular, some are square— each person has a different shape, and the process of turning that into the best possible result is very similar to cooking.

Just as both ugly vegetables and beautiful vegetables must be turned into delicious dishes, I felt that Zero-Nate is also a process of bringing out each person’s teeth in the most beautiful and aesthetically enhanced way.

Q7. As a chef with an “absolute sense of taste,” weren’t you worried that the procedure might affect that sense?

<Yoon Dae-hyun> Not at all. If anything, I felt assured that it would reinforce my teeth and help keep them healthy for a long time. So I chose it without hesitation.

<Kim Hee-eun> I’m a bit afraid of dental clinics. Just hearing the sound scares me... But when I went to TU, it was so comfortable that I thought, “Is this a hotel? Or a dental clinic?”

I was nervous, but it was far less painful than I expected.

Q8. What was your first meal after the procedure? Since you are chefs, I’m curious whether you had something special, or chose something gentle like porridge.

<Kim Hee-eun> We immediately had a comforting Korean meal. It was Zero-Nate, after all (laughs). Once the tension eased, I started craving something spicy, so when I got home, I made kimchi jjim with well-aged kimchi.

Q9. SMILE & EAT, An honest review from a chef’s palate! There really was no problem with EAT?

<Yoon Dae-hyun> I’ve been eating so well lately that I’ve gained a little weight.

<Kim Hee-eun> This is serious! My teeth are healthier, so I eat even better.

At every moment of welcoming guests, the smiles of chefs Yoon Dae-hyun and Kim Hee-eun came back as even more solid confidence.

For them, Zero-Nate was not a choice made to become prettier, but a decision to smile longer, taste longer, and share life more confidently.

We look forward to the new expressions and energy that Chef Yoon Dae-hyun and Chef Kim Hee-eun will bring to “Soul Dining” and “Egg & Flower.”