--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in…" description: "\"Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC, and food was something I was passionate about. But when I finally got into it, I felt like it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/david-chang-8104_about_growing-up-my-dad-owned-a-restaurant-in_1702584.png" --- # Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC… ![“Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC, and food was something I was passionate about. But when I finally got into it, I felt like it was so late in the game; that's why I worked seven days a week at Craft and Mercer Kitchen. I wanted to see how far I could take it.” quote by David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/david-chang-8104_about_growing-up-my-dad-owned-a-restaurant-in_1702584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/david-chang-8104_about_growing-up-my-dad-owned-a-restaurant-in_1702584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/david-chang-8104_about_growing-up-my-dad-owned-a-restaurant-in_1702584.png) > “Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC, and food was something I was passionate about. But when I finally got into it, I felt like it was so late in the game; that's why I worked seven days a week at Craft and Mercer Kitchen. I wanted to see how far I could take it.” [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on late entry into culinary career, emphasizing relentless work to prove himself. **In simple terms:** Late start, hard work to succeed. Key Takeaway Work hard, prove yourself. Themes determination career passion Mood driven reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - restaurant management - personal branding - skill mastery - career transition Key Concepts entrepreneurship skill development Questions to Reflect On - How can late starters overcome experience gaps? - What drives you to work seven days a week? A Different Perspective Success may still be limited by industry barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craft/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Restaurant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restaurant/) [Seven days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven-days/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) [Washington dc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-dc/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I miss hamburgers, I should say that. I miss the tuna pizzas at Mercer Kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/sometimes-i-miss-hamburgers-i-should-say-that-i-miss-the-tuna-pizzas/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [You arrive at Formula One being very skeptical, how far can your talent deal with all this, and then you understand those guys are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schumacher/you-arrive-at-formula-one-being-very-skeptical-how-far-can-your/) [Michael Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schumacher/) > [I still don't get stopped about anything else anywhere near as much as 'Skins.' The remarkable thing that I've noticed is how far that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dempsie/i-still-don-t-get-stopped-about-anything-else-anywhere-near-as-much/) [Joe Dempsie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dempsie/) > [Most Americans have little idea of how far our nation's worldwide standing had fallen by the end of the Bush administration; no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/most-americans-have-little-idea-of-how-far-our-nation-s-worldwide/) [Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/) > [We want to thank our fans for how far we've come and for how much we've received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie/we-want-to-thank-our-fans-for-how-far-we-ve-come-and-for-how-much-we/) [Jennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie/) > [By 2020, most home computers will have the computing power of a human brain. 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I just know how far you have to bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/things-come-in-a-quieter-way-to-me-it-s-not-laziness-and-it-s-not/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I love pushing my boundaries and seeing how far I can go without, you know, dying or injuring myself too badly. On set I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-grammer/i-love-pushing-my-boundaries-and-seeing-how-far-i-can-go-without-you/) [Spencer Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-grammer/) > [Limits have to be set on how far one can simply use the... cleverness that we have to make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/limits-have-to-be-set-on-how-far-one-can-simply-use-the-cleverness/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [In 'The Next Three Days,' even though it was a prison breakout movie, I was asking myself, 'What would I do? How far would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/in-the-next-three-days-even-though-it-was-a-prison-breakout-movie-i/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [We look at distant exploding stars called supernovae, and we've developed techniques to measure how far away they are and how fast they're moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-riess/we-look-at-distant-exploding-stars-called-supernovae-and-we-ve/) [Adam Riess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-riess/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) ## More by David Chang > [In New York, we're always confined with spaces. Our restaurants are difficult to navigate as cooks and to operate. We fight against the buildings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/in-new-york-we-re-always-confined-with-spaces-our-restaurants-are/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [If you ask what people say what American cuisine is, they cannot really do it. I don't know what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/if-you-ask-what-people-say-what-american-cuisine-is-they-cannot/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [When I was in Japan, everyone wanted to work for Pierre Gagnaire, and they wouldn't miss a beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/when-i-was-in-japan-everyone-wanted-to-work-for-pierre-gagnaire-and/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Lifes too short to just breeze on by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/lifes-too-short-to-just-breeze-on-by/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [My dad was in the restaurant business, but I didn't really think about following him. Had I done better at school, I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/my-dad-was-in-the-restaurant-business-but-i-didn-t-really-think-about/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Say a child raises this beautiful beet. It's going to give her a sense of ownership, and that changes everything. You stop taking things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/say-a-child-raises-this-beautiful-beet-it-s-going-to-give-her-a-sense/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > ['Tampopo's amazing. I think it's an absolutely fantastic movie, but I don't think it captures for me the meaning of food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/tampopo-s-amazing-i-think-it-s-an-absolutely-fantastic-movie-but-i/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [If people think you are this amazing, own it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/if-people-think-you-are-this-amazing-own-it/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Any processed chicken from any place - I'll order it in a heartbeat. I'm very picky about my pork, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/any-processed-chicken-from-any-place-i-ll-order-it-in-a-heartbeat-i-m/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [New York gives us a wide colour palette to cook from. We have cuisines from around the world, and that lets us pick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/new-york-gives-us-a-wide-colour-palette-to-cook-from-we-have-cuisines/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [I think the best restaurants in America should be in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/i-think-the-best-restaurants-in-america-should-be-in-california/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [Why can't it be awesome to work for a food company? Why can't we create an environment where people are trying to push each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/why-can-t-it-be-awesome-to-work-for-a-food-company-why-can-t-we/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [You can't go into the chef's office of any serious kitchen and not see a copy of Larousse. A must-have for professional and home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/you-can-t-go-into-the-chef-s-office-of-any-serious-kitchen-and-not/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [I work so hard that I forget to take care of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/i-work-so-hard-that-i-forget-to-take-care-of-myself/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [I don't like eating in restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/i-don-t-like-eating-in-restaurants/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) [Explore all 84 David Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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