PROVIDENCE -- It's been a banner year for Sky Haneul Kim, the chef who helped redefine New England seafood with Korean flair at Gift Horse in Providence, and then won the James Beard 2025 award for Best Chef: Northeast this June. But secretly, while she was giving her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in Chicago, she was questioning the decision she and her husband, Oberlin's chef Chris Pfail, had recently made: She was pregnant, and they had decided to leave their jobs and move to South Korea, where Kim grew up, to raise their daughter.

"I didn't know I'd win. It's everyone's goals, everyone's dream, but I never thought I'd actually do it," said Kim.

During an exclusive interview with the Globe, she grew emotional talking about her time working for Oberlin and Gift Horse owner Ben Sukle. "But I've wanted a baby for the past three years," she said. "I just won a James Beard award, is this the right timing? I struggled a little bit with that."

The couple will leave their posts at both Gift Horse and Oberlin next week, and will move to their new home in South Korea in early October.

"The past couple of months, we've been asking, 'Is this the right decision?'" said Pfail, who is from upstate New York. "We landed on being close to her family. She's been away for so long."

Other factors played into the decision, such as New England's competitive housing market and South Korea's stronger support system for new parents, which includes two weeks of government-backed postnatal care.

Their plan, for now, is to stay no more than three years. Kim plans to be a stay-at-home mom, and Pfail is looking to land a cooking job with the US government. But both will also help on Kim's father's rice farm.

"That's non-negotiable," laughed Pfail.

When they return to the US, Kim said, she wants to open an Asian bakery somewhere in Rhode Island. The Greater Boston area has several -- Tous Les Jours, Bao Bao Bakery, Paris Baguette, Maprang Bakery & Cafe, Ho Yuen Bakery, and many more -- but the Rhode Island market is missing them.

While Kim and Pfail are gone, Ben Sukle, the owner and executive chef of both restaurants, said diners should expect some of Kim's Korean-inspired dishes to cycle off the menu.

"Gift Horse is ushering in a new era, which is way different than Oberlin," said Sukle, who said he'll miss testing out new recipes with Kim.

At Gift Horse, John Robinson has been promoted to sous chef. Robinson has worked at both Oberlin and Gift Horse.

Kim "has become a mentor to me, and is a big part of who I've become in the kitchen as a chef," said Robinson, who graduated from Johnson & Wales University. He called Kim "irreplaceable" and said he had huge shoes to fill to "carry on the legacy" at Gift Horse.

Pfail, an expert at sourcing from local farms and bringing the stories of their produce, herbs, and animals to life, has handed the reins to Chris Tanfi. Tanfi, a native of Florence, Italy, who has an impressive resumé that spans Michelin-starred kitchens in Chicago, a stint owning his own restaurant in Tuscany, and more recently, Miami hot spots like Toscana Divino and Viceversa, a 2025 James Beard finalist for Best New Bar.

Tanfi "is as talented a leader as he is a cook," said Providence-based chef Luke Mersfelder, who crossed paths with Tanfi while in Chicago. "There won't be a harder-working person in the building, and his passion for good food is uncompromising."

From a R.I. restaurant to her South Korean roots, Gift Horse chef makes a bold move before motherhood - The Boston Globe