Danny Bowien

Bowien, born in South Korea, was adopted at a young age by a family in Oklahoma.Cathey, Dave (May 28, 2013). "[https://oklahoman.com/article/3835578/danny-bowien-comes-to-the-aid-of-his-hometown Danny Bowien comes to the aid of his hometown]". The Oklahoman.Martin, Brett (November 21, 2012). “[https://www.gq.com/story/danny-bowien-interview-mission-chinese-profile Danny and the Electric Kung Pao Pastrami Test]”. GQ Growing up as one of the only Korean Americans in school left him without a clear sense of identity, and his roots in Asian culture fostered a need to do something respectable.“[https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/how-mission-chinese-chef-danny-bowien-defines-authenticity How Mission Chinese Chef Danny Bowien Defines Authenticity]”. Asia Society. (April 20, 2018) Retrieved October 17, 2019. He had various jobs, including as a dishwasher in a Vietnamese restaurant, and at age 19 he moved to San Francisco.

After a spell in culinary school Bowien worked at several restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Italian restaurant Farina.Kauffman, Jonathan (September 8, 2010). "[http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/mission-chinese-food-offers-a-matrix-mind-twister-of-a-meal/ Mission Chinese Food offers a Matrix mind-twister of a meal]". SF Weekly. Through his work there he was sent to the 2008 Pesto World Championships in Genoa, Italy, where he won first place."2008 Championship". Pestochampionship.it. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-08-30.

Bowien partnered with Anthony Myint on a series of food truck pop-ups including Mission Street Food and Mission Burger, and with the owners of a Chinese restaurant called Lung Shan on Mission Street, started Mission Chinese Food as the first restaurant-within-a-restaurant pop-up. It was named the second Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appetit Magazine and fourth Best New Restaurant in America by GQ Magazine."[http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/slideshows/2011/09/best-new-restaurants-america#slide=9 The Best New Restaurants in America, 2011: In the Magazine]". bonappetit.com. Retrieved 2012-08-30.Carolyn Alburger (2012-02-16). "[http://sf.eater.com/archives/2012/02/16/gq_names_mission_chinese_food_among_best_new_restaurants.php GQ's Alan Richman Names Mission Chinese Food Among Ten Best New Restaurants of 2011]". Sf.eater.com. Retrieved 2012-08-30. Bowien was nominated the 2011 Rising Star Chef by the San Francisco Chronicle, and in 2012 he was a James Beard Award Finalist.Hu, Janny (2011-03-13). "[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/11/FDO31HV0C9.DTL Danny Bowien: 2011 Rising Star Chef]". SFGate. Retrieved 2012-08-30.Carey Jones (2012-03-19). "[http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/03/james-beard-foundation-announces-2012-finalis.html James Beard Foundation Announces 2012 Finalists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321120256/http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/03/james-beard-foundation-announces-2012-finalis.html |date=2012-03-21 }}". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2012-08-30. He was included in Food and Wine Magazine's 40 Big Thinkers under 40, and San Francisco Chronicle’s Bay Area 30 under 30."[http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/40-big-food-thinkers-under-40-anthony-myint-danny-bowien Anthony Myint & Danny Bowien: Charitable Chefs {{!}} Food & Wine]". Foodandwine.com. Retrieved 2012-08-30."[http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/02/22/zagat-unveils-its-bay-area-contingent-of-30-under-30/ Inside Scoop SF » Zagat unveils its Bay Area contingent of 30 Under 30]". Insidescoopsf.sfgate.com. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-08-30.

After leaving San Francisco in 2012 Bowien opened a standalone Mission Chinese Food in New York City's Lower East Side.Fabricant, Florence (2012-02-13). "[http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/mission-chinese-food-is-coming-to-new-york/ Mission Chinese Food Is Coming to New York — NYTimes.com]". San Francisco (Calif): Dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-08-30. In 2013, he opened a Mexican restaurant, Mission Cantina, in New York.Fabricant, Florence (2013-10-28). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/dining/danny-bowiens-mission-cantina-opens-soon.html?_r=0 Danny Bowien's Mission Cantina Opens Soon]". The New York Times. Mission Cantina was closed 3 years later.Dai, Serena (December 8, 2016). "[https://ny.eater.com/2016/12/8/13892984/mission-cantina-danny-bowien-nyc-closes Danny Bowien's Mission Cantina Closes After Three Years Of Shapeshifting]". Eater NY. In May 2013, Bowien was awarded the prestigious "Rising Star Chef" by the James Beard Foundation for his work in the Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco and New York City.{{Cite web|url=https://jbf-media.s3.amazonaws.com/archive/jbf-2013/static/pdf/2013-jbf-winners-site.pdf|title=2013 James Beard Award Winners|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}}

In 2014 Bowien moved Mission Chinese Food to New York's Chinatown.Gordinier, Jeff (December 23, 2014) “[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/24/dining/danny-bowien-reopens-mission-chinese-food.html A Chef Regains His Focus]”. The New York Times. Retrieved October 30th, 2019. In 2017, Bowien was chosen to be the main subject of the sixth season of the food and travel show The Mind of a Chef. It premiered on November 14, 2017, on Facebook Watch. In 2018, Bowien opened a new Mission Chinese Food location in Bushwick, Brooklyn in front of the independent music venue Elsewhere.Adam Platt (2019-01-29). "[http://www.grubstreet.com/2019/01/first-taste-mission-chinese-food-brooklyn.html At the Psychedelic New Mission Chinese Food, Get the Riblets]". GrubStreet. In September, 2020, Bowien announced permanent closure of the Mission outpost on East Broadway in Chinatown, due to the hardships COVID-19 had on the hospitality industry.{{Cite web|last=Fortney|first=Luke|date=2020-09-17|title=Mission Chinese, Danny Bowien's Genre-Bending Lower East Side Restaurant, Will Permanently Close|url=https://ny.eater.com/2020/9/17/21443809/mission-lower-east-side-will-permanently-close|access-date=2020-11-12|website=Eater NY|language=en}} While the Mission Chinese Food in Chinatown had closed permanently by the end of September 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bushwick location remained open.{{Citation

| author = Christina Izzo, Bao Ong, Amber Sutherland-Namako

| date = October 29, 2021

| title = 75 notable NYC restaurants and bars that permanently closed since 2020

| newspaper = TimeOut

| url = https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/notable-nyc-restaurants-and-bars-that-have-now-permanently-closed

}} In 2022, he closed all of his New York City locations permanently.

By late April 2024, Bowien would open a pop-up Mission Chinese at 43 Mott Street, within the Cha Kee restaurant in NY Chinatown. The restaurant will keep its Cha chaan teng HK Cafe menu, but would change to a Japanese fusion Chinese cuisine by 5 PM. His residency ended by August.{{cite web | url=https://ny.eater.com/2024/4/22/24136843/mission-chinese-pop-up-chinatown-danny-bowien | title=Mission Chinese Has Popped up in Chinatown | date=22 April 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://blog.resy.com/2024/06/danny-bowien-mission-chinese-food-nyc/ | title=Why Danny Bowien Brought Mission Chinese Food Back to New York | date=27 June 2024 }}

Bowien is recognized for his impact on the democratization of fine dining.Interview. (September 12, 2018). “[https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/restaurateurs-danny-bowien-and-mr-chow-compare-notes-on-chinese-food-and-the-truth-of-a-dish Restaurateurs Danny Bowien and Mr.Chow compare notes on Chinese food and the truth of a dish]”. Interview Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2019. Bowien is known as a populist, making food that is accessible to everyone.Birdsall, John (May 10, 2019). “[https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-danny-bowien-mission-chinese-arizona-iced-tea-20190510-story.html Chef Danny Bowien doesn’t care that you have a problem with his Arizona Iced Tea deal]”. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2019. His work in the kitchen is notable, according to GQ, for pioneering the elevation of Chinese food and breaking down barriers in an industry known for its strict Eurocentric hierarchy.

Bowien was married to Korean-American comedian Youngmi Mayer. The pair first met in a corner store when Bowien was cooking at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, where they noticed each other due to their matching hipster clothing. Their marriage was largely secret for a few years, until they made it more public with a ceremony in South Korea. After they divorced in 2018, Bowien dated a fashion intern.{{cite book |last1=Mayer |first1=Youngmi |title=I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying |date=Nov 12, 2024 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |isbn=978-0316569231 |access-date=11 March 2025}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.dannybowien.com/ dannybowien.com]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200805191438/https://eatatmission.com/ eatatmission.com]}}
• [http://www.missionchinesefood.com/ missionchinesefood.com]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowien, Danny}}

Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:American male chefs

Category:American restaurateurs

Category:James Beard Foundation Award winners

Category:Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:South Korean emigrants to the United States

Category:People from Moore, Oklahoma

Category:Chefs from San Francisco