About the author
Hanelore Dumitrache
Meet Hanelore
Hi, I'm Hanelore Dumitrache, the creator of SugarYums — a Korean street food and East Asian desserts blog making modern Asian recipes accessible for the Western kitchen. You might know me as the winner of Netflix show Crazy Delicious.
On SugarYums, you'll find modern Korean street food recipes, East Asian desserts, Korean café-style drinks and bubble tea recipes. Think tteokbokki, everything matcha, Korean corn dogs, boba, mochi, ube and pandan desserts. Less traditional, more contemporary — the flavours taking over food culture right now, made in your own kitchen.
If you've ever watched a K-drama and immediately started craving the food on screen, or found yourself obsessing over Korean café aesthetics, you're in the right place!
My Expertise
In 2020, I participated in Crazy Delicious, the Netflix and Channel 4 cooking competition, impressing judges Heston Blumenthal, Niklas Ekstedt and Carla Hall. Since then, I've been featured in publications and media across North America and Europe.
My Korean food journey
SugarYums started as a baking blog, but my love for Korean food eventually turned it into a modern Korean food blog covering street food and East Asian desserts. What began as curiosity turned into years of genuine immersion: learning about Korean cuisine, the culture and language, travelling to Korea regularly and building relationships within the Korean food community.
That immersion has led to work I'm genuinely proud of. My work in Korean food goes well beyond recipe development. I've collaborated with Prof. Jieun Kier from the Korean Linguistics Department at Oxford University, and I'm always honoured to attend regular Korean Embassy events in London.
I've had the best time featuring on JTBC's Korean Lunch Tray (한국인의 식판) alongside Chef Yee Yeon-Bok, Hong Jin-kyung and Joohoney from Monsta X. I've also been involved in the Kimchi Festival London and among other projects with the Korean community in the UK.
Korean Lunch Tray Show with Joohoney
Korean Lunch Tray Show with Hong Jin-kyung
Korean Lunch Tray Show production team
In Seoul, South Korea
Kimchi Festival with Kimchi Master Lee Ha Yeon
Kimchi Festival with Kimchi Master Lee Ha Yeon
At the National Foundation Day of Korea 2024
At the National Foundation Day of Korea 2023
At the National Foundation Day of Korea 2023
As seen on
My Story
I grew up bilingual in a multicultural area of Romania, attended a Turkish school and moved to London at 18. I'm now preparing to relocate to Seoul, which feels like the most natural next chapter. My desire to understand cultures from the inside is deeply rooted into how I approach food. I want to understand it, cherish it and then share it with my loved ones.
My obsession with Korean food started many years ago, on my birthday. One meal and I was completely, irreversibly hooked. What followed wasn't just an interest in the food, but a deep immersion into the culture behind it.
I started learning Korean, visited Korea regularly, worked with the Korean community in the UK, and somewhere along the way fell genuinely in love with what food means in Korean culture. It's how you show love, how you gather, how you take care of people. That philosophy shapes everything I make!
What you'll find on SugarYums
SugarYums specialises in modern Korean and East Asian street food and dessert recipes — the kind of food you'd find at a Seoul street stall, a Tokyo dessert café, or all over your TikTok FYP. I focus on making Asian flavours genuinely accessible, with simple instructions that actually work in a Western kitchen.
Check out all my recipes in the Recipe Index.
Beyond the blog
Before SugarYums, I studied architecture at Central Saint Martins and worked as an architect for over a decade. A geek at heart, I'm also the co-founder of Whimzi AI, a tech company building smart tools for bloggers, and I offer AEO consultancy for bloggers and digital publishers at hanelore.com.
Work with me
SugarYums is open to brand collaborations, recipe development and partnerships, particularly with brands aligned with Korean and East Asian food culture. Please reach out at hello[at]sugaryums.com.