If there's such a thing as an epic podcast interview, this is it: Chef Hooni Kim's story spans three continents ... before the age of ten. From there, it's a long journey to the professional kitchen, and then to discovering who he was on the plate, which he sprung on the New York City dining public, first at Danji and then at Hanjan, where he offers his own personal take on Korean cuisine. Along the way, he did time at medical school (including a harrowing ER story), in the demanding ktichens of Daniel and Masa, and along the way became an accidental television star in his native Korea. This is a long one, but we thought it was worth every minute. Just settle in and enjoy.

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

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Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

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