David Chang

Culinary training and career

Chang began training at the French Culinary Institute in New York City in 2000, while working part-time at Mercer Kitchen and answering phones at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant. After two years at Craft, he moved to Japan to work at a small soba shop and later at a restaurant in Tokyo's Park Hyatt Hotel. Returning to the U.S., he worked at Café Boulud but soon became dissatisfied with fine dining. In 2004, he opened his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar, in the East Village; the name shares a connection with Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles.

In August 2006, he opened Momofuku Ssäm Bar a few blocks away, which received a high rating from The Infatuation. In March 2008, he opened Momofuku Ko, a 12-seat restaurant that takes reservations online only on a first-come-first-served basis ten days in advance. Later that year, he expanded Momofuku Ssäm Bar with colleague Christina Tosi, naming the new space Momofuku Milk Bar, which served soft serve, cookies, pies, cakes, and other treats. In May 2009, trademarking was reported for Crack Pie, Cereal Milk, and Compost Cookies.

In October 2009, Chang and former New York Times food writer Peter Meehan published the cookbook Momofuku. In May 2010, he opened Má Pêche in midtown Manhattan. In November 2010, he announced his first restaurant outside the U.S., Momofuku Seiōbo, which opened in October 2011 at the Star City Casino in Sydney, Australia. The restaurant received three hats from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide in its first year and was named Best New Restaurant.

Media career

David Chang’s television career began in 2010 with a cameo on HBO’s Treme, where he appeared alongside chefs Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, and Wylie Dufresne. His role grew in the second season when a character took a job at his restaurant. He later served as a guest judge on Top Chef: All Stars and, in 2011, on MasterChef Australia. Chang hosted the first season of the PBS series The Mind of a Chef, which premiered in fall 2012 and was executive produced by Anthony Bourdain.

In 2013, he contributed a skit to the Deltron 3030 album Event 2. He guest-starred as himself in a 2016 episode of IFC’s Documentary Now! that parodied Jiro Dreams of Sushi. In 2018, he created, produced, and starred in the Netflix series Ugly Delicious, and also appeared in The Chef Show, produced by Roy Choi and Jon Favreau. The following year, he produced the Netflix series Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, featuring guests like Seth Rogen and Kate McKinnon.

He hosted the documentary series The Next Thing You Eat. On November 29, 2020, he became the first celebrity to win the $1 million top prize on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, donating the winnings to his charity, the Southern Smoke Foundation. Chang later appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on Apple TV+’s Loot. In 2024, he began hosting the Netflix live late-night talk show Dinner Time Live with David Chang.

Writing

In summer 2011, Chang launched Lucky Peach, a quarterly food magazine co-created with Peter Meehan and published by McSweeney’s. The first issue focused on ramen and featured contributors including Anthony Bourdain, Wylie Dufresne, Ruth Reichl, and Harold McGee. Issue 2, themed “The Sweet Spot,” reached number three on the New York Times bestsellers list, with contributors such as Bourdain, Harold McGee, Christina Tosi, Daniel Patterson, and Russell Chatham.

Issue 3, titled “Chefs and Cooks,” released on March 13 and also became a New York Times bestseller. Each subsequent issue followed a specific theme. Lucky Peach ceased publication after 25 issues in 2017.

Controversy

In 2024, Momofuku sent cease and desist notices over its trademark 'chili crunch', drawing criticism. The company stated the trademark was not intended to stifle competition, but to differentiate its product from the broader chili crisp category. On April 12, 2024, Chang apologized on his podcast, saying Momofuku had not intended to upset anyone and would no longer enforce the trademark. Chang has also admitted to and been accused of being violent and fostering a toxic working environment by former employees.

Restaurants

David Chang's current restaurant lineup includes Bāng Bar in New York and at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, along with multiple Fuku locations in stadiums and arenas like Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He also operates Bar Kabawa in New York's East Village, Majordōmo in Los Angeles, and Momofuku Noodle Bars in the East Village, Uptown New York City, and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

His past restaurants include various Fuku spots in New York and Delaware, Kāwi and Má Pêche in New York, several Momofuku restaurants across the United States, Canada, and Australia, plus Moon Palace and Majordōmo Meat & Fish in Las Vegas. In Toronto, he previously ran Shōtō, Daisho, Nikai, and Kōjin. Upcoming openings are Peach Palace at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Super Peach in Century City, Los Angeles.

Did You Know?

• Chang was a competitive golfer as a child and participated in junior tournaments.
• He majored in religious studies at Trinity College before pursuing a culinary career.