David Chang: Star Custodian

Summary

Summary of "David Chang: Star Custodian" Episode from The Moth Podcast

Introduction In the episode titled "David Chang: Star Custodian" from The Moth podcast, released on October 17, 2011, renowned chef David Chang shares a pivotal and nerve-wracking experience from his culinary career. This story, told live at a Moth event in September 2009 under the theme "Moth Eating Food Adventures of Epic Portions," delves into the intense pressures of maintaining Michelin stars and the profound impact it had on Chang and his restaurant, Momofuku Co.

Context of the Event David Chang, the executive chef and owner of the Momofuku Restaurant group, recounts a significant day in winter 2009 when Jean Luc Nuret, the director of the Michelin Guide, visited his 12-seat establishment, Momofuku Co, located on 10th Street and First Avenue. At that time, Momofuku Co had been awarded two Michelin stars—the highest commendation the restaurant had achieved.

Importance of Michelin Stars Chang emphasizes the immense value and pressure associated with Michelin stars, especially within the culinary community. He explains:

“[08:00] David Chang: ...the Michelin Guide and the star system meant everything. I would go into work on the day the Red Book would come out, and you would hear about French restaurants that I had no idea about gaining a star or losing a star.”

He elaborates on the star hierarchy:

“[09:45] David Chang: One star is awesome. It's great in its category. Two stars mean it's worth a detour. Three stars mean you're at the pinnacle, you are at the top, and it's worth a special occasion.”

For Chang, receiving Michelin stars was not just an honor but a monumental responsibility that influenced every aspect of his restaurant's operations.

The Visit of Jean Luc Nuret During the fateful visit, Chang describes the atmosphere as uncharacteristically tense:

“[05:30] David Chang: We were more nervous. And we're never nervous. Like when a critic comes in.”

Jean Luc Nuret, known for his discerning palate and strict standards, was dining with a companion who was a vegetarian, adding another layer of complexity to the dining experience at Momofuku Co.

The Interaction and Its Impact As the meal progressed, Chang details the escalating anxiety:

“[12:20] David Chang: I became extraordinarily paranoid about the food. I lost the ability to think straight.”

Midway through the dinner, Nuret posed a crucial question that left Chang reeling:

“[14:10] David Chang: ...Jean Luc Nuret asked me this question: 'Do you want three Michelin stars?'”

This question forced Chang to confront the underlying motivations driving his culinary creations. He reflects:

“[15:30] David Chang: ...were we cooking for ourselves? Were we cooking for the diners?”

Chang's fear of losing a star or striving for a third plunged him into a state of introspection about the authenticity of his cooking and the external pressures of accolades.

Reflections and Conclusions The encounter with Nuret became a turning point for Chang, highlighting the intangible burdens that come with high recognition. He admits:

“[15:50] David Chang: ...I care very much, and I'm deathly afraid we're going to lose a star.”

This admission underscores the constant vigilance and stress that Michelin stars impose on chefs, questioning whether culinary passion remains genuine or becomes tainted by the pursuit of perfection as defined by external standards.

Conclusion David Chang's story, as presented in "Star Custodian," offers a candid glimpse into the high-stakes world of fine dining and the personal toll of maintaining prestigious accolades. It underscores the delicate balance between passion for cooking and the pressures of external validation, making it a compelling narrative for both food enthusiasts and those interested in the human aspects of culinary excellence.

Notable Quotes:

• [08:00] David Chang: "I would go into work on the day the Red Book would come out, and you would hear about French restaurants that I had no idea about gaining a star or losing a star."
• [09:45] David Chang: "One star is awesome. It's great in its category. Two stars mean it's worth a detour. Three stars mean you're at the pinnacle, you are at the top, and it's worth a special occasion."
• [14:10] David Chang: "Jean Luc Nuret asked me this question: 'Do you want three Michelin stars?'"
• [15:30] David Chang: "Were we cooking for ourselves? Were we cooking for the diners?"
• [15:50] David Chang: "I care very much, and I'm deathly afraid we're going to lose a star."

Final Thoughts David Chang's narrative is a powerful exploration of the intersection between culinary artistry and the pressures of maintaining excellence. It serves as a testament to the challenges faced by chefs in balancing personal passion with the weight of esteemed recognitions like Michelin stars.

Transcript

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[Dan Kennedy]

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy.

[David Chang]

Hey.

[Dan Kennedy]

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[Dan Kennedy]

The story you're about to hear by David Chang was told live at the Moth in September and the theme of the night was Moth Eating Food Adventures of Epic Portions.

[David Chang]

So a couple years ago was winter 2009 and it was a day I will never forget, because we had a certain guest that came in, and his name was Jean Luc Nuret, and he was the director at the time of the Michelin Guide. And he came to eat at Momofuku Co. Momofuku co is a 12 seat restaurant. It's on 10th street and First Avenue. It's very bare bones, plywood walls. The year before, he had awarded us two Michelin stars. And to this day, I still haven't quite reconciled what that means. And he was coming into the restaurant, and we've cooked for a lot of critics, a lot of dignitaries before, but for whatever reason, the whole. I don't even know what it was in that day. We just felt that things were just off. Things were odd. We were more nervous. And we're never nervous. Like when a critic comes in. I mean, we chant to each other, kill, kill, kill, kill. You know, we want the critic or whoever that we're trying to impress to leave the restaurant going, holy shit, what just happened? That was unbelievable. And this guy's not even a critic. He's the director of the Michelin Guide. And it is a guide that was created because of the tire company. It was to create places to eat in France, and it's over 100 years old. And it means the world to chefs in France and other places in Europe. And they decided to open up the Guide in New York and a few other places in America and controversial in America. It hasn't been around as long. So the stars don't mean as much to the general public. But as a chef, as a cook, I grew up under chefs, where the Michelin Guide and the star system meant everything. I would go into work on the day the Red Book would come out, and you would hear about French restaurants that I had no idea about gaining a star or losing a star. So you finally got the pattern that, okay, this is something important. And Momofuku Co, we serve just about anything. We serve Japanese food. There's no real ethnic boundaries to what we serve. We just want to serve something that's delicious. But regardless of whatever we serve at Momofuku, we're grounded in French tradition. And I would say almost all of Western cuisine is grounded in French tradition. And if that's the case, every time we cook something and every time, you know, Chef Keller, Thomas Keller from the French Laundry said it best. When you make a hollandaise sauce and you're over the stove and you're making your liaison and you make it right, you're going Back in time, you're making the same sauce that all these French cooks have made. All these cooks have done the same thing. And you share this moment. If you do it right, it's a beautiful thing. I didn't understand it until very recently. So the Michelin guide meant everything. And if any chef tells you they don't care about the Michelin guide, they're full of shit because they either have a stance against it or a stance for it. And as a cook, I didn't expect to ever get a Michelin star. And they go on. They grade on a three star system. Even if you're included in the guide, it's an honor. One star is awesome. It's great in its category. Two star means it's worth a detour. Three star means you're at the pinnacle, you are at the top, and it's worth a special occasion. Three star basically means if you're going to eat there, you're going to expect the best meal of your life. So two star, you're sort of in between good and amazing. So we were dealing with the burden of sort of being the custodian of two Michelin star restaurant at Momofuku Co. Something that we didn't really ever contemplate or think about. We sort of dreaded the fact that we had to carry it. It was an honor. But a very influential chef called me and said this. This is the highest honor a chef could receive. And I didn't want this honor. And it was a terrible feeling. But knowing the history of the guide and knowing the history of the culinary profession, it's something that I had to carry and not just myself. Everyone at Momofuku Co. So this day, it was winter in 2009, Jean Lucner comes in with a dining companion and. And nobody wants to sit in front of him or cook in front of him. Momofukuko is very. It's like a diner, but we're not serving short order fries and pancakes and burgers. I don't even know how to describe the food we do. We just try to make something delicious, simple, but deceivingly complex. And that day I was working canape station and they sat him in front of me and he's a very pleasant guy, very nice. And I just. I never get that nervous ever. But I just lost all composure. I became extraordinarily paranoid about the food. I lost the ability to think straight. And maybe that actually happened, I don't know, because I sort of blacked that whole moment out. But, you know, we start serving him a barrage of canapes, of crudo, of black pepper, mirin biscuit, a fluke and buttermilk Santa Barbara Uni. And then he drops this question. And he was trying to talk to me throughout the meal. And I was, if you've been to co, we're not the most loquacious bunch because we're trying to focus on the food, not talk to the guest. And it's not because we're mean or not. We were more concerned about getting the food right. And I was trying to talk to this guy, and he gave me this question and he said, well, David, this is the first restaurant I've ever awarded two Michelin stars to that I've never eaten at. So immediately I'm like. He's like, well, I don't need to eat here because I trust my inspectors. The Michelin guide is notoriously famous for their inspectors that go anonymous and they go multiple times and you have no idea when they come in. And when he tells me that, I'm just like, oh, my God. Okay, we have to. What do we do? Like, I wish I could turn the volume to 11, like Spinal Tap or something. But we had nothing. You can't serve him anything different than the person to the left or the person to the right. And, you know, you just have to believe in the food that you're serving him. And I just felt no confidence in the food. And I knew the food was good. We knew as a group the food was good. But I was preparing this dish and I just felt sort of embarrassed when I dropped it to him. Like, I felt like a fraud. It was a dish, a pasta course that we were serving at the time. It was chicken snail sausage with hand torn pasta. And when you explain it to somebody, it sounds sort of weird and terrible, but I think it tasted pretty delicious. And, you know, we take the hand torn pasta after it's been cooked, and we roll in a little butter, add a little chicken jus, some feene herb, a little minced mint, and we cover it in some crispy chicken skin. And the there's obviously this chicken snail farce inside. And I just felt embarrassed giving him this dish. I don't even know if he even liked it. But the entire time he's eating and there's discourse between myself and Jean Luc Neuret is happening. He's barely eating his food. You know, they're not large portions, but he's eating a bite or two bites. And you have to know that this is an open kitchen. If it was a closed kitchen, it would have been so much easier, but I still would have seen the food come by. Every chef wants to see the food come by. You want to see empty, clean plates. Nothing is worse. When you see plates come by the dishwasher and it's full of food, it is the most disheartening thing. And you know, somebody messed up and ultimately you have to put the blame on yourself. And I couldn't get a read on this guy. And he's talking to his dining companion and they're whispering to each other. So it's only making me more paranoid what's going on? So around fish course, the fish course comes around and it's halibut and almond milk. Really simple dish. But again, they barely touched it. And I asked, is there something wrong? And he says, oh. His dining companion was a vegetarian. We would have definitely have provided something for her, but it just didn't happen. And she wasn't eating anything. He wasn't really eating anything. So again, the whole mood of the line, there's three of us is just. We're just as low as humanly possible because you can see what everyone's doing and we're just nervous. And then I think it's right around the meat course. We're serving him a 48 hour cooked short rib at the time, and he asked me this question I will never, ever forget because it sort of messed me up in the head forever. And he's a really nice guy, very suave Frenchman. He said, hey, David, again, I'm like this far away from him. I'm very close. He's like, david, well, you have two stars. Do you want three Michelin stars? In my head I was like, what kind of evil monster are you? Because if I say, you know, I'm happy with two stars, that's gonna just seem that I'm, you know, lazy. And because you have to understand, if you're a two star, you're just assume that you're shooting for three stars. I'm really content with two stars. I mean, I don't even think we deserve two stars. And we got two stars right off the bat. And nothing would make me more unhappy than to get three stars because all you can do is go down and you to, you know, there's about five restaurants, Masa, La Bernardin, Jean Georges, Daniel, per se. Three Michelin stars in New York City. There's probably, I think, eight in the entire United States. And you have to really be on your toes all the time. Not that I don't want our restaurant to be. Not that I don't want us to serve the best food in the world. We want to hold ourselves accountable to the highest standard. But if I say, yeah, you know, we want to get three stars, then I feel like I'm telling him we're overly confident. And then if I say, no, we want to go to a one star restaurant, I'm totally screwed. I don't know what to say. So I said something along the lines of, you know, we're going to. We're very happy that you rewarded us with two Michelin stars. We want to represent the. The guide very well. You know, we're going to try very hard to improve every day. I'm just buying time to say anything that we want. Three stars. And I said, we're going to try to get better every day. Maybe one day we'll get three stars. And that's when I really realized that things had changed a lot for myself and for everyone that worked at Momofugu. And it was asking the question, were we cooking for ourselves? Were we cooking for the diners? Because that's initially what we started to cook for, was to make delicious food for people that wanted to eat something tasty. Now I had to ask this sort of question, were we cooking food for awards? Were we cooking food for everything that I didn't believe in? And I wish I could tell you that I've learned from that experience, but that's not the case because the Michelin guide is coming out again, and it's coming out in, like, three weeks, the first week of October. And I think the chefs in this Michelin guide were masochists, because we look at this, we look at this guide, and we wait to see who's going to be awarded a star, who's going to drop a star? And to tell you that I don't care would be a total lie. I care very much, and I'm deathly afraid we're going to lose a star. So thank you very much.

[Dan Kennedy]

David Chang is the executive chef and owner of the Momofuku Restaurant group. David's first cookbook, Momofuku, is a New York Times best seller. He's taken home three James Beard foundation awards. On October 6, the Michelin Guide announced that Momofuku Ko had received two Michelin stars, which it has retained for four years.

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[Dan Kennedy]

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