David Chang (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: ; born August 5, 1977) is an American restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, Momofuku Ko was awarded two

Michelin stars The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

, which the restaurant has retained each year since. He co-founded the influential food magazine Lucky Peach in 2011 which lasted for 25 quarterly volumes into 2017. In 2018, Chang created, produced, and starred in a

Netflix original series Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...

called ''

Ugly Delicious ''Ugly Delicious'' is a non-fiction original series on Netflix combining travel, cooking, and history. Each episode highlights one dish or concept, and explores how it is made in different regions and how it evolves. The first season premiered o ...

'', and through his Majordomo Media group, he has produced and/or starred in more television and podcasts. On November 29, 2020, he became the first celebrity to win the $1,000,000 top prize for his charity, Southern Smoke Foundation, and the fourteenth overall million dollar winner on ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

''.

Early life and education

Chang was born in Arlington, Virginia, the son of Korean parents, mother Woo Chung Hi "Sherri," who was born in Kaesong, and Chang Jin Pil, later Joseph P. Chang, who was born in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

. Chang grew up in Arlington, with two older brothers and one sister. Chang's parents emigrated from Korea as adults in the 1960s. As a child, Chang was a competitive

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

er who participated in a number of junior tournaments. Chang attended

Georgetown Prep Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit board ...

and then

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, where he majored in religious studies. After graduating from college, Chang pursued a variety of jobs, including teaching English in Japan, then bussing tables and holding finance positions in New York City. On a 2022 episode of the TV series '' Finding Your Roots'', it was revealed that one of Chang's paternal ancestors was

Jang Bogo Jang Bogo (787–841), childhood name: Gungbok, was a Sillan who rose to prominence in the Later Silla period of Korea as a powerful maritime figure who effectively controlled the Yellow Sea (West Sea), and dominated the trade between Silla, H ...

, a famous mariner and military leader of the Medieval Korean kingdom of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

Culinary training and career

Chang started attending the French Culinary Institute (FCI)—now known as the

International Culinary Center The International Culinary Center was a private for-profit culinary school headquartered in New York City. In 2020, it merged into the Institute of Culinary Education, also in New York City. It was founded as The French Culinary Institute by ...

—in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 2000. While he was training, he also worked part-time at Mercer Kitchen in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and got a job answering phones at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant. Chang stayed at Craft for two years and then moved back to Japan to work at a small soba shop, followed by a restaurant in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

's Park Hyatt Hotel. Upon returning to the U.S., Chang worked at Café Boulud, where his idol, Alex Lee, had worked. But Chang soon grew "completely dissatisfied with the whole fine dining scene". In 2004, Chang opened his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village. Chang's website states ''momofuku'' means "lucky peach", but the restaurant also shares a name with

Momofuku Ando , was an inventor and businessman who founded Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. He is known as the inventor of instant noodles (ramen noodles) and the creator of the brands Top Ramen and Cup Noodles. Early life and education Ando was born Go P ...

—the inventor of instant noodles. In August 2006, Chang's second restaurant, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, opened a few blocks away.

The Infatuation The Infatuation (formerly known as Immaculate Infatuation) is an American New York-based restaurant recommendation website and messaging service, created by former music industry executives Chris Stang and Andrew Steinthal in 2009. They are most ...

rated it a high 8.4/10, calling the menu "inventive, exciting, and different." In March 2008, Chang opened Momofuku Ko, a 12-seat restaurant that takes reservations ten days in advance, online only, on a first-come-first-served basis. Later that year, Chang expanded Momofuku Ssäm Bar into an adjacent space with his colleague

Christina Tosi Christina Tosi (born 1981) is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and CEO. ''Food & Wine'' magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food ...

, whom he had hired to run Momofuku's pastry program. They named the new space Momofuku Milk Bar, serving soft serve, along with cookies, pies, cakes and other treats, many of these inspired by foods Tosi had as a child. In May 2009, it was reported that Momofuku Milk Bar's

Crack Pie Milk Bar Pie is a dessert created by Christina Tosi while working at Wd~50, wd~50. It is the signature dish of Tosi's Milk Bar (bakery), Milk Bar. Development Tosi first created the dessert as one of her offerings for family meal while working ...

, Cereal Milk, and Compost Cookies were in the process of being trademarked. In October 2009, Chang and former ''New York Times'' food writer Peter Meehan published ''Momofuku'', a highly anticipated cookbook containing detailed recipes from Chang's restaurants. In May 2010, Chang opened Má Pêche in midtown Manhattan. In November 2010, Chang announced the opening of his first restaurant outside the US in Sydney, Australia. Momofuku Seiōbo opened in October 2011 at the redeveloped

Star City Casino The Star Sydney (formerly Star City Casino and prior to that, Sydney Harbour Casino) in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star, owned by Star Entertainm ...

in Southern-hemisphere. In an article with the Sydney Morning Herald, Chang was quoted as saying: "I've just fallen in love with Australia. I'm just fascinated by the food scene in Sydney and Melbourne. People are excited about food in Australia. It's fresh and it's energetic." The restaurant was awarded three hats from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide in its first year and was named Best New Restaurant. In March 2011, Chang announced that he would be bringing Momofuku to Toronto, and opened it in late 2012. The restaurant is located in a three-story glass cube in the heart of downtown Toronto. Momofuku Toronto is made up of three restaurants, these are Noodle Bar, Daishō and Shōtō; as well as a bar Nikai. Daishō and Shōtō closed in late 2017, and the space was refurbished. A new Momofuku restaurant, Kojin, opened in the space in 2018. Chang launched Fuku, a chain of fast food restaurants specializing in fried chicken sandwiches, in June 2015. In 2016, Chang launched his first digital-only restaurant, which offers a menu only for delivery in Midtown East and takes orders taken via an app named Ando. Later in 2016, Chang participated in a project hosted by a Silicon Valley startup named Impossible Foods. He prepared food that was later added on the menu of one of his restaurants, Momofuku Nishi, as a partnership between Impossible Foods and David Chang. In July 2017, Chang announced the opening of his first West Coast restaurant in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The restaurant, Majordomo, opened in January 2018. In May 2017, Chang announced the opening of a new restaurant at the Hudson Yards development in New York. In June 2018, Má Pêche closed after operating for 8 years. On December 30, 2019, Chang opened the 250-seat Majordomo Meat & Fish restaurant in

The Palazzo The Palazzo (also called The Palazzo at The Venetian) is a luxury hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada. Designed by the Dallas-based HKS, Inc., the hotel of ...

tower of

The Venetian Las Vegas The Venetian Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States, on the site of the old Sands Hotel. Designed by KlingStubbins, the hotel tower contains 36 stories and rises . The Venet ...

. In March 2020, in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Momofuku restaurant group made the decision to temporarily close its restaurants. Later that year, they decided to consolidate some restaurants, and permanently close Momofuku Nishi in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, and Momofuku CCDC in Washington, D.C. In 2021 they also closed Momofuku Seiōbo in Sydney. Chang's Majordomo and Moon Palace closed at Palazzo on June 6, 2022.

Media career

Television

In 2010, he appeared in the fifth episode of HBO's '' Treme'' alongside fellow chefs

Tom Colicchio Thomas Patrick Colicchio (; born August 15, 1962) is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, whic ...

Eric Ripert The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

and

Wylie Dufresne Wylie Dufresne (born 1970) is the chef and owner of Du's Donuts and the former chef and owner of the wd~50 and Alder restaurants in Manhattan. Dufresne is a leading American proponent of molecular gastronomy, the movement to incorporate science ...

. His presence on the show was expanded in the second season when one of the characters, a New Orleans chef who has moved to New York City, takes a job in his restaurant. Chang has also served as a guest judge on the reality show '' Top Chef: All Stars''. In 2011, he was a guest judge on '' MasterChef Australia''. Chang hosted the first season of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

food series ''

The Mind of a Chef ''The Mind of a Chef'' is a non-fiction television series on PBS narrated and executive produced by Anthony Bourdain, and combines travel, cooking, history, and science. Each season follows a different chef, or pair of chefs, and examines their b ...

'', which was executive produced by Anthony Bourdain and premiered in the fall of 2012. In September 2013, David appeared on a skit on the Deltron 3030 album, ''

Event 2 ''Event 2'' is the second album by hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030. The album was released on September 30, 2013. It is the group's first album since their 2000 debut, ''Deltron 3030'' and a narrative sequel. Production history Production be ...

''. In 2016, he guest starred as himself in the IFC series ''

Documentary Now! ''Documentary Now!'' is an American mockumentary television series, created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, that premiered on August 20, 2015, on IFC. Armisen and Hader star in many episodes, and Thomas and Alex Buono ...

'' episode "Juan Likes Rice & Chicken", a parody of ''

Jiro Dreams of Sushi ''Jiro Dreams of Sushi'' is a 2011 Japanese-language American documentary film directed by David Gelb. The film follows , an 85-year-old sushi master and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, previously a Michelin three-star restaurant. Sukiyabashi Jiro ...

''. In 2018, Chang created, produced, and starred in a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

original series, ''

''. Chang also appeared in two episodes of the BuzzFeed web series '' Worth It'', and another Netflix series '' The Chef Show'', produced by his friends

Roy Choi Roy Choi (born February 24, 1970) is a Korean-American chef who gained prominence as the creator of the gourmet Korean-Mexican taco truck Kogi. Choi is a chef who is celebrated for "food that isn't fancy" and is known as one of the founders of ...

and Jon Favreau. In 2019, he produced a Netflix original titled " Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner" with guest stars including

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part o ...

and

Kate McKinnon Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (2012–2022), of which she was a cas ...

. He also appeared in the '' Blue's Clues & You!'' episode "Welcome to Blue's Bistro" in the Mailtime segment. He hosted the documentary film series '' The Next Thing You Eat''.

Writing

In summer 2011, David Chang released the first issue of his ''

Lucky Peach Momofuku is a culinary brand established by chef David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar. It includes restaurants in New York City, Sydney, Toronto, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko, Má Pêche (defunct) ...

'' food magazine, a quarterly publication created with Peter Meehan and published by McSweeney's. The theme of Issue 1 was Ramen. Contributors included Anthony Bourdain,

Ruth Reichl Ruth Reichl (; born 1948), is an American chef, food writer and editor. In addition to two decades as a food critic, mainly spent at the ''Los Angeles Times'' and ''The New York Times'', Reichl has also written cookbooks, memoirs and a novel, and ...

, and

Harold McGee Harold James McGee (born October 3, 1951) is an American author who writes about the chemistry and history of food science and cooking. He is best known for his seminal book '' On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen'' first pu ...

. The theme of Issue 2 is The Sweet Spot, and Issue 2 reached #3 on the ''New York Times'' bestsellers list. Contributors to Issue 2 include Bourdain,

, Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi, Daniel Patterson and

Russell Chatham Russell Chatham (October 27, 1939 – November 10, 2019) was a contemporary American landscape artist and author who spent most of his career living in Livingston, Montana. The artist was the grandson of landscape painter Gottardo Piazzoni, tho ...

. Issue 3: Chefs and Cooks, was released on March 13 and was also a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Each subsequent issue continued to focus on a particular theme. Lucky Peach discontinued after 25 issues in 2017.

Podcast

He has his own show on the Ringer podcast network (''The Dave Chang Show''). He also is a host on a spin off called ''The Recipe Club'' with guest host Chris Ying.

Public persona

Epicurious described Chang as having a "bad-boy attitude" for having no reservations or vegetarian options. Chang created a controversy in 2009 by making dismissive remarks about California chefs, telling Anthony Bourdain "They don't manipulate food, they just put figs on a plate." David Chang serves on the Food Council at City Harvest and the Culinary Council at

Food Bank for New York City Food Bank For New York City is a non-profit social services organization and the major hunger-relief organization working against hunger in the five boroughs. Its aim is to organize food, information and support for needy citizens of New York City ...

, two hunger-relief organizations. He is also a member of the board of trustees at

MOFAD The Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) is a New York City educational non-profit and museum that seeks to change the way people think about food and drink. The museum's work explores "the ways food and beverage impact our culture, politics, economy, ...

, the Museum of Food and Drink in New York City.

Publications

* *David Chang; Chris Ying; Peter Meehan (2011- May 2017). ''

''. *In September 2020, Chang released his memoir, ''Eat a Peach'', in which he talks about his difficult relationship with his father, his long-time struggles with depression and anger, and recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. *

Restaurants

Momofuku

* 2004: Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York, NY) * 2006: Momofuku Ssäm Bar (New York, NY) ** Booker and Dax – located in Ssäm Bar (New York, NY) * 2008: Momofuku Ko (New York, NY) * 2010: Má Pêche – located in Chambers Hotel (New York, NY) * 2011: Momofuku Seiōbo – located in The Star (Sydney, Australia) * 2012/closed 2022: Momofuku (Toronto, Canada) – includes Momofuku Noodle Bar, Nikai, Daishō and Shōtō ** Noodle Bar (Toronto, Canada) ** Nikai (Toronto, Canada) ** Daishō (Toronto, Canada) ** Shōtō (Toronto, Canada) * 2015: Momofuku CCDC (Washington, DC) * 2016: Momofuku Nishi (New York, NY) * 2017: Momofuku Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) * 2018: Majordōmo (Los Angeles, CA)

Fuku

* 2015: Fuku – East Village (New York, NY) * 2015: Fuku+ – Midtown; located in Chambers Hotel (New York, NY) * 2017: Fuku – Financial District (New York, NY) * Fuku – Battery Park City (New York, NY) * Fuku – Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) * Fuku – Citi Field (Queens, NY) * Fuku – Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL) * Fuku - Hudson Yards (New York, NY)

Milk Bar

* 2008: Momofuku Milk Bar – East Village (New York, NY) * Momofuku Milk Bar – Midtown (New York, NY) * Momofuku Milk Bar – Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY) * Momofuku Milk Bar – Upper West Side (New York, NY) * Momofuku Milk Bar – Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn, NY) * 2012: Milk Bar (Toronto, Canada) * 2015: Milk Bar (Washington, DC) * 2017: Milk Bar (Las Vegas, NV) * 2018: Milk Bar (Los Angeles, CA) * 2019: Milk Bar & Pizza (Cambridge, MA)

Moon Palace

* 2020: Moon Palace (Las Vegas, NV)

Awards

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

s
2006 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Nomination

2007 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year

2008 James Beard Best Chef New York City for Momofuku Ssäm Bar

2009 James Beard Best New Restaurant for Momofuku Ko

2010 Momofuku – Cookbook Nomination

2012 James Beard Outstanding Chef (nominated)

2013 James Beard Outstanding Chef

2014 James Beard Foundation Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America
The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants
The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants: Momofuku Ko – #65 (2011)
* The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants: Momofuku Ssäm Bar – #37 (2012) * The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants: Momofuku Ko – #79 (2012)
The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants: Momofuku Ssäm Bar– #86 (2013)

The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants: Momofuku Ssäm Bar- #64 (2014)
Michelin
Ko : 2 Michelin Stars for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
* 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

: Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Momofuku Noodle Bar, Michelin Bib Gourmands Guide to NYC ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' Good Food Guide * Momofuku Seiōbo – Three Hats (2013) * Momofuku Seiōbo – Best New Restaurant (2013) Additional awards and accolades
2013 Momofuku Seiōbo, Restaurant of the Year

2013 Momofuku Shōtō and Daishō, The Best New Toronto Restaurants

2012 Momofuku, The Most Important Restaurant in America

2012 Momofuku Ko, Five Most Influential Restaurants of the Past Six Years

2012 Momofuku Seiōbo, ''Time Out'' Restaurant of the Year

''White Guide'' (March 2012) – Global Gastronomy Award 2012

''Crain's New York'' (March 2011) – 40 Under 40
* 2010 ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People
''Food & Wine'' 2006 Best New Chef

''Bon Appetit'' 2007 Chef of the Year

''GQ'' 2007 Chef of the Year

References

External links

Momofuku
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, David 1977 births Living people American drink industry businesspeople American cookbook writers American male non-fiction writers American people of North Korean descent American people of South Korean descent American restaurateurs American television chefs American male chefs Businesspeople from Virginia International Culinary Center alumni People from Vienna, Virginia Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Writers from Virginia Georgetown Preparatory School alumni James Beard Foundation Award winners Chefs from Virginia Chefs from New York City American podcasters Asian American chefs Netflix people American gastronomes