Meet Chef Dave

I am a New York City based chef. I’ve worked in some of the city’s top restaurants including the iconic fine-dining destination Le Cirque, its sister restaurant Circo, and Michelin-rated Porsena. I never pursued any formal training; my genuine love for food and eating drove me to teach myself the necessary skills to land myself a job in a professional kitchen and work my way up. 

 

Having lived my entire life in New York and Los Angeles, I love and can make cuisines from all across the world. My elementary school was nearly half Korean. I routinely traded my roast beef sandwiches for kimpab at lunch. My in-laws are from India, and as such I’ve developed a passion for food from the entire subcontinent. In short, there are very few foods I dislike (or can’t cook). I can prepare the most complex dishes of High French Cuisine, although truthfully, when cooking for myself I’m far more likely to continue my endless pursuit of creating the perfect sandwich. 

 

A personal health scare taught me to never take one’s wellbeing for granted. I was forced to rethink my approach to eating well, and emerged with not only a deeper appreciation for food itself, but an understanding that food is a foundational part of personal health. I think a lot of people believe that maintaining a healthy diet is incongruous with eating really good food, but I know from personal experience that feeding one’s body what it needs while satisfying its every (food) craving is both possible and enjoyable. 

 

When not in the kitchen, you can find me on my bike, in the pool, doing yoga, or walking my unreasonably rambunctious dog. My approach to personal health doesn’t end at the dining table.

 

So let me cook for you! I can make you a classic vichysoisse if you so choose, but we can also start with that near-perfect sandwich. Thanks!