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Roy Choi

Roy Choi is the Los Angeles chef behind Kogi BBQ, co-host of The Chef Show, and author who shares the stories and flavors of his city through food.

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Roy’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.

Known for

Overview

From: Born in Seoul, South Korea; raised in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Based in: Los Angeles, California.
Work: Chef, restaurateur, author and television host.
Training: Culinary Institute of America, class of 1998.
Breakout: Kogi’s Korean BBQ tacos hit the streets of Los Angeles in November 2008.

Mini bio

How it started.

Born in Seoul and raised in Southern California, Roy grew up around his parents’ Korean restaurant in Anaheim. He later graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked in kitchens including Le Bernardin and the Beverly Hills Hilton.

The truck that connected a city.

In November 2008, Kogi began serving Korean BBQ tacos outside a Hollywood nightclub. Roy launched the business with Mark and Caroline Manguera. Twitter helped fans find the truck, bringing people together around Korean flavors served through a familiar Los Angeles food: the taco.

Stories beyond the plate.

Roy brought his life and city into L.A. Son, his 2013 memoir and cookbook with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan. On The Chef Show, he cooks alongside Jon Favreau; on Broken Bread, he meets people using food to address issues such as access, displacement and injustice.

Still feeding people.

His work now spans restaurants, television and recipes for home cooks. The Choi of Cooking, released in 2025 with Nguyen and Phan, puts vegetables and balance into everyday comfort food. His community work includes helping World Central Kitchen feed people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Creditschronological, newest first

Books

2025The Choi of CookingCo-author with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan
2013L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My FoodCo-author with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan

Television

2026Awkwafina: The Unlikely CookGuest chef
2019The Chef ShowCo-host and executive producer
2019Broken BreadHost

Restaurants

2018Best FriendChef and co-owner
2008Kogi BBQCo-founder and chef

Awards

Quotes

Instead of forcing your customer to come to your restaurant, why not bring the restaurant to them?Roy Choi, Culinary Institute of America

Explaining the idea behind bringing Korean food to people across Los Angeles through Kogi’s taco truck.

Trivia

Before The Chef Show, he trained Jon Favreau to look like a cook for the film Chef.
Best Friend opened at Park MGM in Las Vegas on December 19, 2018.
His first encounter with The Joy of Cooking was a copy his parents picked up at a yard sale.