Ki Chung

Bar Maze - Honolulu, HI

Ki Chung was born in Incheon, South Korea, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in food started humbly in his youth, first watching his grandmother make traditional Korean dishes and evolving further when he became responsible for cooking for his siblings while his parents worked. Chung is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of American and has staged in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants across the country, including The French Laundry, Manresa, Benu, The Fat Duck and Jean-Georges. Landing at Aubergine restaurant at L’Auberge Carmel, Chung rose from garde manger to Aubergine’s first chef de cuisine. While there, he helped lead the restaurant to a Michelin star, a Forbes five-star ranking and a No. 14, North America, placement on the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) list. As head chef of Bar Maze, Ki Chung oversees the tasting menu that changes every month and has garnered two James Beard semifinalist nominations both as Emerging Chef and Best Chef Pacific Northwest.