Yes, a business should thrive, but it shouldn't thrive at the expense of everyone else losing.

I make food as affordable as possible.

Why can I cook for tourists that come and visit L.A. and are so excited to see the Kogi truck? Because I cooked at country clubs and Embassy Suites hotels.

What was important for 'Broken Bread' to do was show real life.

There is no typical day, not when there are so many people out there that I care about that can't access good food in their neighborhoods.

My parents worked and sold and hustled; they were gone from the morning, and I pretty much took care of myself. But in a Korean household, you're always eating with your family no matter what, and you're always cooking. And our food is not one you can just open a package and eat right away; a lot of our food takes time to develop.

I grew up on Julia Child, Paul Prudhomme, Sara Moulton - and obviously, Emeril's first show had a huge impact on my life.

I was watching TV and saw the 'Emeril' show, and it spoke to me. I went out and started researching the culinary world and chefs that I knew nothing about. Then I moved to New York and went to culinary school, and everything just fit like a glove. It's been on ever since.

I translate Hawaii as a place where people make sure I'm having a great time, eating terrific food, without any expectation of anything in return. It's a place for people to be happy. It sounds corny, but in Hawaii, it's not; it's uncorny.

Chefs have always been leaders, but now, because of social media and the evolution of the chef identity, we have a voice that expands beyond cooking.

I like to go to a Korean salon.

I didn't just grow up lowriding: I grew up lowriding and also in mansions in Orange County.

When Kogi started, I was dead broke, selling tacos on the street just to survive.

When you never see yourself in the mainstream format, you are stripped of the strength of your identity.

My parents and friends, they're Ph.D.s that worked as custodians, that owned their own businesses, that went bankrupt, that moved seven times, that sent their kid to Harvard, that don't have any money for retirement. Highs and lows of life.

I don't go for average.

I go by 'Papi' on the streets.

TV is a hard thing to do. It's a hard thing to get a show.

You have to believe in something, and you have to believe in the things that you feel and find value in those things, and not be swayed all the time. Maybe you're gonna get swayed 90% of the time, to keep those things submerged, but you can't distrust yourself 100% of the time.

I know all about Orange County.

Oh yeah, the 'Chef' movie was awesome.

When I was around 25 years old, I lost everything and was a complete dirtbag.

I grew up around so many different people in so many different neighborhoods, but the Latino heritage, the neighborhoods, and people have always been a part of my life, ever since I was a kid.

I don't have many hobbies or talents other than cooking, but I've always been good at figuring out a city.