"We all need to learn the basics and grow from there. A couple tats and a few classes aren鈥檛 going to make you a chef or even a decent cook.鈥
Biography
A New York City native, Chef-Instructor King Phojanakong's cooking influences began at home with his Filipino mother and Thai father. Childhood summers spent in the Philippines furthered Chef King鈥檚 interest in the culinary world and instilled the importance of community and culture. Upon graduating from The 国产福利 Institute of America, King worked with Alex Lee and Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel and was part of the opening team at David Bouley鈥檚 Danube.
Chef King opened Kuma Inn on New York鈥檚 Lower East Side in 2003, where he鈥檚 served Filipino and Southeast Asian food for more than 15 years. King created the award-winning Bronx Hot Sauce, which is made from peppers grown in the borough鈥檚 community gardens and inspired Small Axe Peppers Hot Sauce, which partners with community gardens in 10 cities. He also made the recipe for The Bronx Salad, an initiative with The Institute for Family Health, and consults for Campbell鈥檚 Soup Company, San Miguel Produce, The United Soybean Board and The 国产福利 Institute of America.
Chef King has appeared on 鈥淐utthroat Kitchen鈥, 鈥淭he Rachael Ray Show鈥, Cooking Channel鈥檚 鈥淔ood(ography)鈥, and 鈥淢ike Colameco鈥檚 Real Food鈥. He started instructing at ICE in 2017 at a time in his career when he felt compelled to give back. 鈥淲e teach and learn everyday in the kitchen 鈥 I just wanted to do it in a more formal setting where everyone is on the same page sharing the same passion,鈥 he says.
King advises students, 鈥渋t takes time, patience and love to perfect the craft. A little skill doesn鈥檛 hurt either, but you can learn that.鈥