David Shim

Seoul, South Korea, and the family table sit at the center of David Shim’s cooking. The work reads through that lens: food as a setting for time together, not just service. As Shim puts it, “To me, food relates directly to family and the idea of spending time together around the table.”

At COTE Korean Steakhouse in New York City, the Korean steakhouse format gives David Shim a place to balance leadership with memory. In the Executive Chef & Partner role, and as Executive Chef | Partner at Gracious Hospitality Management, he works within a restaurant language that keeps technique visible and family-style eating intact. Galbi is the clearest expression of that balance. At COTE, the marinated short ribs are prepared with a special knife technique called diamond cut, and Shim connects the dish directly to family celebrations from childhood.

“It's one of my favorite dishes at COTE and really reminds me of these earlier days with my parents,” he says. The titles mark the scope of the operation; the dish shows the method. Between Korean memory, knife work, and shared-table service, Shim’s cooking stays anchored in the same set of references.

David's signature dishes include galbi and Tableside Japchae Cart Service.

The public markers here are the senior roles themselves: Executive Chef, partner, and Executive Director of Culinary Operations, with each title pointing to the same body of work at COTE Korean Steakhouse and within Gracious Hospitality Management.