David Chang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
David Chang

Chang in 2010
Born	(1977-08-05) August 5, 1977 (age 47) Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Cooking style	New American Asian
Education	Georgetown Prep Trinity College, Hartford French Culinary Institute
Spouse	Grace Seo Chang ​ (m. 2017)​
Current restaurant(s) Noodle Bar Bāng Bar Momofuku Majordōmo Fuku
Previous restaurant(s) Momofuku Ko
Award(s) won James Beard Foundation Award

David Chang (Hangul: 장석호; born August 5, 1977) is a famous American chef and restaurant owner. He is also an author, podcaster, and TV star. David Chang started the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko earned two Michelin stars. These are special awards for excellent restaurants. He kept these stars until the restaurant closed in 2023. In 2011, he helped create a food magazine called Lucky Peach. It was published for six years. David Chang is also well-known for hosting cooking and food shows on TV. Some of his popular shows include Ugly Delicious and Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Early Life and School

David Chang was born in Arlington, Virginia. His parents were from Korea. His mother, Woo Chung Hi "Sherri," was born in Kaesong. His father, Chang Jin Pil (later Joseph P. Chang), was born in Pyongyang. David grew up in Vienna, Virginia. He has two older brothers and one sister. His parents moved from Korea to the U.S. in the 1960s.

When David was a child, he loved playing golf. He even took part in many junior golf tournaments. He went to Georgetown Prep for high school. Then he studied religious studies at Trinity College. After college, David tried different jobs. He taught English in Japan and worked in finance in New York City. He also worked as a busser in restaurants.

Becoming a Chef

A tasty pork ramen dish from Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Momofuku pork buns are a very popular dish at his restaurants.

David Chang decided to become a chef in 2000. He started learning at the French Culinary Institute (FCI) in New York City. While studying, he worked part-time at Mercer Kitchen. He also answered phones at Craft restaurant, owned by chef Tom Colicchio. David worked at Craft for two years.

After that, he moved to Japan. He worked at a small soba noodle shop. Then he worked at a restaurant in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo. When he came back to the U.S., he worked at Café Boulud. This was a famous restaurant where his hero, Alex Lee, had worked. But David soon felt unhappy with the fancy fine dining world.

Momofuku Restaurants

In 2004, David Chang opened his first restaurant. It was called Momofuku Noodle Bar. It was located in the East Village in New York City. The name momofuku means "lucky peach." It also honors Momofuku Ando, who invented instant noodles.

In 2006, he opened his second restaurant, Momofuku Ssäm Bar. It was just a few blocks away. In 2008, he opened Momofuku Ko. This was a small restaurant with only 12 seats. You had to book a table online, ten days in advance. Later that year, he expanded Momofuku Ssäm Bar. He worked with Christina Tosi, who ran Momofuku's pastry program. They opened Momofuku Milk Bar. It served soft serve ice cream, cookies, pies, and cakes. Many of these treats were inspired by foods Christina loved as a child.

In 2009, David Chang and food writer Peter Meehan published a cookbook. It was called Momofuku. It had many detailed recipes from Chang's restaurants. In 2010, he opened Má Pêche in midtown Manhattan.

David Chang also opened restaurants outside the U.S. In 2011, Momofuku Seiōbo opened in Sydney, Australia. It quickly won awards. In 2012, he opened Momofuku in Toronto, Canada. This location had three restaurants and a bar.

In 2015, Chang started Fuku. This was a chain of fast-food restaurants. They specialized in fried chicken sandwiches. He also launched a delivery-only restaurant called Ando in 2016. In 2018, he opened Majordomo in Los Angeles.

Over the years, some Momofuku restaurants have closed. This includes Momofuku Ko in New York, which closed in 2023.

David Chang on TV

David Chang is also a well-known television personality. In 2010, he appeared on the HBO show Treme. He was on the show with other famous chefs. He also appeared as a guest judge on reality shows like Top Chef: All Stars and MasterChef Australia.

From 2012, David Chang hosted the PBS food series The Mind of a Chef. This show was produced by the famous chef Anthony Bourdain. In 2018, Chang created, produced, and starred in a Netflix series called Ugly Delicious. He also appeared in another Netflix show, The Chef Show. In 2019, he produced Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for Netflix. He hosted the documentary series The Next Thing You Eat.

In 2020, David Chang made history. He became the first celebrity to win $1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He donated the money to his charity, Southern Smoke Foundation. In 2024, he started hosting a new live Netflix show called "Dinner Time Live with David Chang.".

Writing and Magazines

In 2011, David Chang launched his food magazine, Lucky Peach. He created it with Peter Meehan. It was published four times a year. The first issue was all about Ramen. Famous writers and chefs contributed to the magazine. Lucky Peach was very popular and even made it onto the New York Times bestsellers list. Each issue focused on a different food theme. The magazine stopped publishing in 2017 after 25 issues.

Selected TV Appearances

David Chang's Restaurants

David Chang has opened many restaurants. Some are still open, and some have closed. He also plans to open new ones.

Current Restaurants

• Bāng Bar (New York, NY)
• Bāng Bar – located in Cosmopolitan (Las Vegas, NV)
• Fuku – Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV)
• Fuku – Barclay's Center (Brooklyn, NY)
• Fuku – Citi Field (Queens, NY)
• Fuku – Chase Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• Fuku – Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)
• Fuku – Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
• Fuku – Hudson Yards (New York, NY)
• Fuku – Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
• Fuku – Northwest Stadium (Landover, MD)
• Fuku – Oracle Park (San Francisco, California)
• Fuku – Oriole Park (Baltimore, MD)
• Fuku – PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Fuku – EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, FL)
• Fuku – T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
• Fuku – Yankee Stadium (New York, NY)
• Kabawa – East Village (New York, NY)
• Bar Kabawa – East Village (New York, NY)
• Majordōmo (Los Angeles, CA)
• Momofuku Noodle Bar – East Village (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Noodle Bar – Uptown (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Las Vegas – located in Cosmopolitan (Las Vegas, NV)

Past Restaurants

• Fuku – East Village (New York, NY)
• Fuku+ – Midtown; located in Chambers Hotel (New York, NY)
• Fuku – Financial District (New York, NY)
• Fuku – Battery Park City (New York, NY)
• Fuku – Chancery Market (Wilmington, DE)
• Kāwi (New York, NY)
• Má Pêche – located in Chambers Hotel (New York, NY)
• Momofuku CCDC (Washington, DC)
• Momofuku Ko (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Nishi (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Bar Wayo (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Ssäm Bar (New York, NY)
• Momofuku Noodle Bar (Toronto, Canada)
• Shōtō (Toronto, Canada)
• Daisho (Toronto, Canada)
• Nikai (Toronto, Canada)
• Kōjin (Toronto, Canada)
• Moon Palace – located in The Venetian Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
• Majordōmo Meat & Fish – located in The Venetian Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
• Momofuku Seiōbo – located in The Star (Sydney, Australia)

Future Restaurants

• Peach Palace – JFK Airport (Queens, NY)
• Super Peach – Century City (Los Angeles, CA)

Awards and Honors

David Chang has won many important awards for his cooking.

James Beard Foundation Awards

• 2007: Rising Star Chef of the Year
• 2008: Best Chef New York City for Momofuku Ssäm Bar
• 2009: Best New Restaurant for Momofuku Ko
• 2013: Outstanding Chef
• 2014: Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America

Other Awards

• 2010: Named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People

See also

In Spanish: David Chang para niños