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Sharing the impact of edible insects on global food systems & the UN’s SDGs • Chef, Edible Insect Ambassador, Explorer, Speaker, Artist - Joseph Yoon 🇰🇷🇺🇸

Edible Insect Ambassador—featured in global media, normalizing insect protein, demonstrating how, and making it fun & delicious!

10/09/2026

I can’t even count the number of people who have rejected my offer to come over for an ento-based dinner, and I’m not sure what they expect—a big bowlful of bugs? When I used to cook and offer meat and seafood, there’d often be a list of people waiting for an invite. Anyways…I don’t take it personally but realize I need to share more of what eating an ento-diet can actually look like.

Since it’s the start of fall, I thought I’d sample my insect based ferments for a little lunch tasting.

-Aged Cricket Kimchi Jjigae: I forgot this container of 3.5 year old kimchi in the back of my fridge and made this stew
-Cricket Grains: I used a cricket stock and a blend of brown rice and quinoa
-Cricket Kimchi: classic napa cabbage kimchi made with my signature insect formulation
-Cricket Shish*to: blistered peppers from my garden
-Pickled Chili Peppers: no bugs but all from my garden
-Cricket Cucumber Kimchi: refreshing and also utilizing my cricket kimchi paste
-Soy Pickled Ramps: always think of my friend that let me forage the ramps from his property when I eat this
-Cricket Gochu: I first ferment my garden gochu peppers in a 2.5% salt brine, let it develop some funky notes, and then finish it in kimchi for long fermentation and storage

ps - 행복한 한글의 날! Happy Hangeul Day (to observe and celebrate the creation of the Korean alphabet in 1446)!

10/05/2026

I’ve been hearing about the indigenous pawpaw for a few years now, but haven’t had a chance to sample one until this weekend! What a delight to finally try the custardy-banana-mango flavored fruit with hints of the funky durian by way of its taste and texture!

After trying a few pieces by themselves, I wanted to add a variety of edible insects that I thought would pair well for both their flavor and texture, and I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of scorpion, grasshoppers, crickets, bamboo worm, and black ants to the pawpaw. After eating, I saved the seeds and am trying to germinate them now.

Special thanks to Jesse Alexander for thinking to share the pawpaws with me and Angela Schuster at The Explorers Club. They happen to be the Creative Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Explorers Journal, and I’m honored to share that I’m a new contributing editor with my first piece coming out in the Fall Issue! Stay tuned - more info on that coming soon.

10/02/2026

People who limit the potential of edible insects to whole insects simply lack imagination!

Just because edible insects are nutrient dense, doesn’t mean that that is its only purpose. In addition to making delicious desserts and naughty comfort foods, we also like to experiment with infusions that incorporate the nuanced flavor profiles of insects with spirits like wh***ey, gin, vodka, soju, and mezcal.

We look forward to hosting some ento-events in the fall and hope you’ll join us. Please feel free to connect with us if you’d like to collaborate in a meaningful way.

10/01/2026

Delicious ento-deviled eggs with added depth of flavor and nuance with cricket powder, and topped off with a true delicacy—a Brood XIX cicada with a light tempura batter that also includes cricket powder.

Attempting to post more regularly (again), and share more of the deliciousness of how I regularly incorporate edible insects into my daily meals.

How many would you eat?

09/30/2026

Among the highlights of Climate Week NYC and UN General Assembly activities last week was reconnecting with a delegation of dear friends from Sarayaku Defensores de la Selva. Hearing them speak about their work and philosophy of Kawsak Sacha - the Living Forest - is something I cherish and embrace every time.

Located in the Pastaza province of the Ecuadorian Amazon, I’ve had the great privilege of visiting them twice (and will hopefully return on an expedition next year). Alongside Kawsak Sacha, I also learned of Sumak Kawsay — life in harmony — a concept that resonates with me tremendously.

The Living Forest is understood as a living, conscious being that embraces everything within the rainforest — from the smallest insects, to the mighty jaguar, to the river waters, to the humans living within it. The idea is that all of these should collectively share the same rights and laws—not just humans.

This may sound abstract, but what strikes me most is how extractive and harmful humans can be toward nature without realizing that we are actually a part of it — not separate from it. We don’t exist outside the nature we’re currently destroying.

I offer this paraphrase with great respect, and I’m writing at greater length about how these ideas intersect with my own philosophy and our relationship with the natural world.

Thanks to Amazon Watch Official, Urban Indigenous Collective, NYU Law, and for hosting the events that made this reconnection with the Kichwa of Sarayaku possible in NYC.

09/24/2026

My life profoundly changed after I started working with edible insects, and learning about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to serve as my guiding North Star for my work brought me great purpose and conviction. I’m so grateful to spend the day at the United Nations during and , and it was incredibly meaningful and inspirational for me. Highlights forthcoming 🦋

09/21/2026

Powering up for a fun, educational, engaging, jam-packed climateweeknyc. I have events and programming throughout the week - hit me up if you’d like to connect!

09/08/2026

I can’t believe it’s the ninth anniversary of Brooklyn Bugs! If you’d told me nine years ago what a profound, life-changing journey this would become, I don’t think I could have imagined it. Talking about, thinking about, philosophizing about, teaching about — and honestly, pouring my whole being into — edible insects has been quite the ride.

So many people and institutions made this possible: universities, museums, restaurants, nature centers, professors, chefs, policymakers, explorers, farmers, and YOU! I’m endlessly grateful for the chance to have shared this work through 550+ days on tour, 225+ events across six continents, and 250+ media features.

But the greatest gift has been what these years taught me — and the chance to keep championing diversity, inclusivity, compassion, science, and kindness everywhere I go.

We’re now booking for the next academic year and beyond. If you think there’s a meaningful way for us to work with your institution, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Bug love, xox Joseph

09/01/2026

So grateful for this beautiful napa cabbage grown in my friend’s garden that I made into cricket kimchi. I love utilizing cricket powder from 3 Cricketeers as a substitute for the umami that’s typically found through shellfish or fish sauce in kimchi.

I have a ton of peppers that I’m also pickling and fermenting, and look forward to sharing them at some upcoming autumn events.

08/24/2026

I was a little tired after traveling last week, and had a delightful weekend with friends, but also realized that my garden was exploding full of peppers and felt compelled to cook them on Sunday. This was one of my preparations with the Korean 고추 (gochu or pepper), that I ferment with a cricket kimchi sauce and cicada nymphs.

I love this type of preparation as I can eat this over a long period, enjoy the deepening flavors of the fermentation, and appreciate the labor from my gardening throughout the year. Hopefully I’ll get to share some of this with you at a dinner party in the coming months.

Happy Monday, xox Joseph

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