Dong Choi was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia as a young child. He alternated between eating traditional Korean and southern comfort foods. Choi found a love for cooking in college and began building a career working with award-winning chefs like Joel Antunes in Atlanta, as Executive Chef for David Myers in LA, Las Vegas, Asia, and with the Michael Mina Group and Daniel Patterson Group.
Choi moved to the Bay Area and in 2017 joined The Slanted Door Group to lead the opening of Rice & Bones, the group’s fast-casual restaurant aimed at bringing high-quality, tasty food to students and faculty at The University of California, Berkeley. In 2018, Choi was promoted to Chef de Cuisine of The Slanted Door San Ramon where he developed new dishes and managed day-to-day operations of the 7K+ sq. ft. space, eventually passing the reins to his successor.
During the pandemic, Choi led the opening of Chuck’s Takeaway, the group’s first takeout sandwich shop catering to the needs of remote workers in San Francisco. Its successful launch and inaugural year prove that Choi has a strong pulse on what customers want.
As Head of Research & Development for The Slanted Door Group, Choi continually redefines what it means to cook modern Vietnamese and Asian cuisine in the US. He plays a critical role in the menu creation at The Slanted Door Napa.