Meet Dave Wang | Chef Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dave Wang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Honestly, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I had just resigned from my role as head chef with Meat & Cheese in Aspen after running it for about 3 years as the opening chef. The plan was to try and open something new in partnership with a local restauranteur but it fell through. I’m not the type of person to backtrack with jobs, once I leave, I leave. I’ve worked for hotels and restaurants at this point in my career but I had yet to work for myself or done any kind of catering or private work. The idea of working for myself seemed daunting but also exciting as I had the opportunity to build something of my own. It forced me to learn more about my own boundaries, motivations, and approach to cooking. Let me tell ya, those first couple years were rough!

Outside of the catering, ramen became a huge part of my career path. I became obsessed with it and started diving deeper and deeper into the intricacies of ramen. I started practicing and sharing every batch with friends. As more and more people started hearing about it, I began hosting private ramen nights that eventually became a “in the know” type supper club in Aspen. I created these ramen coins that people had to buy as their ticket into ramen nights. Potential attendees would have to find me around town, purchase a coin, and then use that coin to trade for their bowl of ramen at an undisclosed location. These events became so popular amongst the local hospitality community that they became an informal industry night of sorts. Eventually the event outgrew itself and I started hosting ramen nights in local restaurants, taking over a dinner service and served hundreds, even thousands, of bowls of ramen. That’s when I decided I wanted to open up my own shop. Now, nearly 10 years later, with a brief stint training in Tokyo, I’m now in Denver, actively trying to find funding and a space to take that next step.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Something I’ve struggled with a good portion of my life is a sense of identity and belonging. I’ve consistently been made aware since childhood that I’m not American enough because of the way I look or what I eat but back in Taiwan, where I was born, I’m told I’m not Taiwanese or Chinese enough because of the way I was raised. As a child, I lacked the self awareness to really know what was going on beyond the casual bullying. As an adult, I had more trouble with it as I felt lost. However, at one point, something sort of clicked and I realized that I didn’t have to belong. I was content blazing my own trail, conducting myself the way I wanted and cooking what I felt like cooking. This led to a deeper understanding of third culture, or third wave culture and the ideas of authenticity. I started cooking in a way that combined the various cultures I grew up around instead of focusing on this idea of tradition and trying to squeeze myself into a category that I didn’t really belong in.

Tying in flavors from where I grew up in Southern California, surrounded by the Latino and Vietnamese community in Orange county, but also the flavors of “home” up in the SGV (San Gabriel Valley) and Chinatown. Taiwanese culture from Irvine and the summer trips back to Taipei. The French fundamentals I learned at the Culinary Institute of America as well as introductions to other global cuisine there. As I got older and continued my career in the culinary industry, I became more and more fascinated (obsessed) with Japanese culture and food, but specifically the non-sushi aspects of the cuisine as I felt myself more drawn to aspects of cuisine that are less known or less popular here in the states. I became engrossed with ramen and learning more about the different styles and nuanced techniques involved in the noodle making process, the broth, the tare and so forth. Plated desserts and component techniques became a fascination as well. How pastry chefs can create these stunning museum level plates that could easily sit on a white pedestal display encased in glass was and still is something I truly admire.

All of this basically pushed me to start thinking about flavors and textures with a little more curiosity and intention. Approaching known flavor profiles and analyzing them from other perspectives besides just flavor. What’s the history of a dish? The naming of a dish or a technique? Where did these ingredients originally come from? Can I substitute something to create a new flavor without losing the intention or history of a dish? Can I make something taste or look familiar but also foreign at the same time? This is truly what excites me about food and cooking. The approach on cooking is so diverse that I genuinely believe that for someone as easily distracted as I am, it’s a field that I will never get bored of.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being fairly new to Denver, I honestly have barely skimmed the surface of places to explore around here. Food wise, I’d for sure start the day at Get Rights bakery in Wheatridge for a breakfast pizza or on the sweet end, a seasonal bomboloni. The caneles here are probably the best I’ve ever had so those are a must. Perfectly crunchy exterior with a soft and spongy custard like crumb. Odell’s Bagels for a furikake bagel with hamachi or salmon roe. Absolutely delicious. Grab a sausage egg and cheese sandwich to go if you’re on the run! The Denver botanical gardens are fun to walk off breakfast and check out some tours or special exhibits. My friends are all dog people so for sure taking our pups to the Westminster Hills dog park for some proper off leash time. For lunch spots, MakFam or Yuan Wonton would be my go to spots for dumplings and noodles. Hong Kong BBQ with roasted duck and cha siu rice is another little gem of a spot for those homey Chinese eatery feels that would be hard to pass up. Depending on the time of year, catching a Rockies or Nuggets game or a comedy show at the Paramount Theatre would have to be on the list. Red Rocks of course. I’ve only been to a few shows there so far but it’s one of the coolest music venues I’ve ever been to. Dinner out would have to be at Chef Ni and Anna’s Sap Sua or to Tommy Lee’s Hop Alley. Both steer into that third wave style dining that I love and its always great to support fellow AAPI businesses. For the fancy splurge dinner, I’d have to say Beckon as that has been one of the more impressive meals I’ve had as of late. Of course, a visit from a friend would have to include a small dinner party, probably with some ramen. We’d hit up a few of the weekend farmers markets in the area and then host a little ramen dinner with a handful of people from my Denver community. Bringing people from different walks of life together at the dining table is one of my favorite aspects of hospitality. I realized I predominantly talked about food. Such a glutton.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m a pretty big introvert and have a hard time connecting with most people. However, there are definitely a handful of individuals that have genuinely supported me along my career. My boss at Meat & Cheese, Wendy Mitchell, has always been a big supporter. She taught me what it means to be a leader who leads by example and a business owner that people wanted to follow. She was hands on without micro managing. Nothing was beneath her and she was able to gently push me outside of my comfort zone time and time again. Well, sometimes a boot kick rather than gentle nudge but I needed it. Chef Barclay Dodge of restaurant, Bosq, has been a mentor and example of what I want to eventually be. As a chef with aspirations of having my own restaurant one day, Barclay has been a huge part of my learning process. Having a chef of his caliber in my corner has been monumental to my growth and I’m very fortunate to have his confidence and support. My friends who have supported my ventures throughout the past 15 years. Those who have consistently shown up for me, whether its at my ramen pop ups, private dinners, helping me through financial hardships without a word, helping me network and connect with clients, and just words of support. As cliched as it might sound, Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential gave me the push to pursue this career. I’ve read that book so many times now and it still encourages me every read to keep pushing. All have contributed to where I’m at today.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefdavewang/?hl=en

Other: https://www.hulu.com/watch/b365690d-725d-4fee-85bd-8587977d2bc0

Image Credits
Trevor Triano (Portrait)
Trevor Triano (images 1-3)
Megan Wynn (images 4-5)
David Wang (images 6-8)