Prominent Melbourne chef's family revealed as those in allegedly deliberate Chadstone house fire

The woman accused of attempting to murder her two daughters by setting their Chadstone home ablaze has been revealed as the wife of Melbourne executive chef Jae Bang of Melbourne CBD eatery Freyja.

A top Melbourne chef’s wife has been charged with attempting to murder their two young daughters. Picture: Instagram

A renowned Melbourne chef’s wife has been charged with attempting to murder their two young daughters by setting fire to the family’s Chadstone home while the children were inside.

The Herald Sun can reveal the accused, Hyun Ju Ahn, is married to executive chef Jae Bang of CBD Nordic-inspired eatery Freyja.

A neighbour from the street told the Herald Sun she remembered the young family as being happy but largely keeping to themselves.

A GoFundMe was recently started to help support Mr Bang as he deals with living without a home or close family support group.

“Chef Jae Bang (Freyja, Melbourne) lost his home to a fire while he was away,” it reads.

“His wife and two daughters were sleeping when it happened, and they were unconscious when the firefighters rescued them. They were seriously injured and have had extensive stays in the hospital.

“The family is recovering, but they have no home, no other family in the area, and have many expenses to cover from the fire rescue and hospital stays.”

Mr Bang was out of town on 21 May when his wife allegedly caused a gas cylinder to explode, setting their Chadstone home alight.

Fire crews forced their way into the home, rescuing the woman and two girls, aged seven and eight at the time, from the first floor where they were found unconscious.

Jae Bang appeared on Adam Liaw’s The Cook Up on SBS. Picture: Instagram

Jae Bang is a well known and respected Melbourne chef. Picture: Instagram

After an investigation by the Arson and Explosives Squad, Ms Ahn was charged last week with two counts of attempt to commit murder and two counts of damage property by fire to endanger life.

Ms Ahn is still recovering in hospital with burns to her hands, while the two girls were initially taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a critical condition.

Mr Bang, who appeared on Adam Liaw’s SBS program The Cook Up, has had a globetrotting career that started in his home country of South Korea before taking him to Spain, the US and Norway before landing in Melbourne.

In an interview with Broadsheet last year, Mr Bang spoke about his family and the difficult balancing act between his career and children.

“Running a restaurant demands a significant amount of time, so my days off are crucial for dedicating my attention solely to my kids,” he said.

“We prioritise spending quality time with each other. We do a lot of activities that I’m passionate about, such as camping in the wilderness, foraging in the mountains during peak season, skiing, rock climbing and, more recently, free diving.”