Psy conducts global talent search for personal chef

A Korean restaurant chain has scored a major coup by enlisting viral pop sensation Psy to promote its brand in a campaign that seeks applicants to be his “personal chef.” Pitched as a global chef talent search by Korean food brand Bibigo, the online video competition has gone viral itself, attracting more than 6.5 million hits since being uploaded about two weeks ago. The winner of the contest wins the chance to accompany the singer on his world tour for a month, tag along for red carpet events, and pockets $40,000 USD. Themed around the Korean word ‘bibi,’ which means to mix, and bibimbap, a traditional dish of vegetable and beef-topped rice which likewise requires elbow grease to prepare, the contest encourages applicants to make a video that depicts their ‘mixing’ abilities in creative and unique ways. So far, one popular motif among entries includes performing a mash-up of two viral phenomena: the Harlem Shake and Psy. Within nine days, Psy's video for “Gentleman” drew more than 200 million hits on YouTube. His first hit, “Gangnam Style,” is currently the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July. Candidates have until May 11 to upload videos to Bibigo’s Psy Facebook page. The top three finalists will be announced May 20 and the winner -- as chosen by Psy and an online poll -- announced June 3. Meanwhile, it’s hoped that Psy’s endorsement of Korean food brand Bibigo, which has restaurant locations in the US and the UK, will put Korean cuisine on equal footing with Japanese and Thai foods, which enjoy mainstream popularity among Western palates. Bibigo pitches Korean fare as healthy eats. Back in 2011, influential, New York-based restaurant consultancy group Baum + Whiteman predicted that the punchy, spicy, garlic-heavy flavors of Korean cuisine would emerge as a major global food trend, even declaring kimchi -- Korea’s signature spicy, fermented cabbage -- the food item of 2012.