Dave Chang has always been a legend to me - I remember I was still in high school when my dad told me about Chang’s first restaurant. The groundbreaking Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York’s East Village opened in 2004. People lined up around the block for his steaming bowls of ramen, huge slabs of pork belly and nightly rifs on traditional Japanese fare (bacon featured prominently). The Korean-American chef grew up in Arlington, Virginia and moved back to Japan to work at a small soba shop and hone his craft. After stints at iconic New York culinary institutions - French Culinary Institute, Mercer Kitchen, Café Boulud - Chang grew disillusioned with the whole fine dining scene and set out to blaze his own trail. Momofuku, which means ‘lucky peach’ was born and has since grown into a 16 restaurant empire.

When my dad took me to visit New York City from San Francisco, we waited in line with giddy anticipation at 1st Avenue at 11th street  - both ramen lovers, this felt like a pilgrimage. We ordered nearly everything on the menu and slurped up the spicy-fluffy-fatty-flavorful goodness at the long tables, looking on at the bustling chefs in the open kitchen, engaged in their nightly ballet. I knew I was in the presence of something special - experiencing the creation of someone with the vision & the courage to generate something truly new.

A little over a decade later - Chang has become a friend and remains an inspiration of mine. That courage & vision is needed now more than ever as we face the most destructive public health crisis of our time. The NYT recently published a devastating article that as many as 75% of independent restaurants could close permanently because of the COVID-19 crisis. The National Restaurant Association estimated this week that the country would lose $225 billion in the coming three months and five to seven million employees. These losses are tragic, and have a devastating impact on people’s lives. I was invited onto The Dave Chang Show to share our vision for Freedom Gardens, and learn more about how the restaurant industry is adapting to a post-COVID world. Take a listen below, and if you’re able please join me in donating to the non-profits & community groups supporting independent restaurants and their workers:

CPG, Normal Pot, and Too Small to Fail, Vol. 9 With Lily Kwong The Dave Chang Show

Hot Bread Kitchen Provides emergency funds to support women in new skills training, small business coaching, social services, financial coaching and general advocacy.

CORE (Children Of Restaurant Employees) Supports food & beverage employees with children who are experiencing major medical diagnosis of a parent or child, death, or loss of income.

Open for Good is the James Beard Foundation campaign to help independent restaurants survive this crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term.