Today we’d like to introduce you to David Sim.
Hi David, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My cooking career started at home, cooking for my brothers while my parents were busy working long hours. I’m self-taught and was always very into cooking shows, like the Galloping Gourmet and Julia Child. I always knew I wanted to be a cook and when I started applying for work after high school I had a hard time getting hired because I didn’t have experience and didn’t go to culinary school. As a result, I’m now more into hiring someone with passion than just experience. I finally got lucky and had a great opportunity with a fellow Cambodian chef who put in a good word for me at a restaurant in La Jolla. It was extremely tough but I still never thought about quitting. Then I went to work at Truluck’s and had an amazing experience there, learning how to work in a high volume environment. During this time, I was still working on and off at In-N-Out when I finally got a managerial role. After that I went to Prepkitchen where I learned the basics of everything, how to make everything from scratch operating at a very high standard. From there, I went to Trust where I was surrounded by extreme talent and knowledge. After taking some time to reflect on where I wanted to go from there, I learned of an opening with the soon-to-open Kingfisher. It just felt right, I really liked their story and what they were trying to accomplish. I ended up being lucky enough to be hired as employee #1 and have been there ever since, working my way up to the executive chef position.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is it ever a smooth road for anyone? I want to know someone who’s been in the industry more than ten years, where it’s been always a smooth road. Every chef has thought about leaving at some point. I’ve cried at points and cut multiple fingers, had multiple trips to the ER. Somewhere along the way you know that it’s the only right thing for you to do though and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. What makes it worth it is the friends and camaraderie among cooks and the people you meet along the way. It’s a very strong bond that’s created and a mutual understanding.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the executive chef, overseeing Kingfisher restaurant in Golden Hill. We’re a Vietnamese-French restaurant that’s best known for our duck. Guests absolutely love it and have since we first opened. I try to change the menu and keep it fresh very often while staying within the lens of Vietnam and not straying which can be a challenge. I’m proud of how we manage to navigate this. We try to stay true to the essence of each dish and elevate each in a challenging way that’s still different than what you might be familiar with elsewhere.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Timing. I was lucky enough to get a line cook job before I deserved it because I came across a chef who really believed in me. Every next step I took, I fell into the perfect role and that feels very lucky. For example, right when I was about to step away, I found the role at Kingfisher that was everything I was seeking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kingfishersd.com
- Instagram: @kingfisher.sd
