Chef

Kyoo Eom

Discipline: Chef
Venue: 1789 Restaurant · Restaurant

Portrait of Kyoo Eom

i. Biography

From Yeosu University and Le Cordon Bleu at Brown College to Washington, D.C. dining rooms, Kyoo Eom’s résumé reads in the order working kitchens often respect: school, training, named rooms, then the point where responsibility becomes the job. The shift came in 2016 with the Executive Chef post at Dirty Habit. By 2020, that path had carried him to 1789 Restaurant, where the Executive Chef role framed a chapter built on precision, seasonality, and control of detail.

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The Path

Technique was shaped first at Le Cordon Bleu at Brown College, then sharpened in New York City at DB Bistro Moderne and Café Boulud, two kitchens that signal disciplined restaurant work. Those rooms led to Washington, D.C., where Kyoo Eom became Executive Chef at Dirty Habit in 2016, a promotion that marked both arrival and accountability. In 2020, he moved into the Executive Chef role at 1789 Restaurant, continuing a career that advances through exacting kitchens and increasingly visible leadership.

The Work Today

At 1789 Restaurant in Washington, D.C., the food is built through composed plates and clearly named ingredients, the kind of cooking that asks to be read before it is tasted. Mediterranean Sea Bass with Fava Beans, Yellow Corn, Romanesco, Heirloom Tomato Coulis, and Herb Oil is one such example: a plate assembled with distinct color, texture, and seasonal register. Menu language around the work also includes brioche-crusted halibut, a dish a critic noted remained on the menu, which says something about its staying power in service. Ramp Risotto appeared in 2021 as a seasonal dish on the tasting menu, giving spring at 1789 a specific marker within Eom’s tenure and the restaurant’s rhythm. Taken together, the plates point to a kitchen organized around named preparations rather than broad claims: sea bass with Fava Beans and tomato coulis, halibut under brioche, risotto built around ramps, tuna paired with avocado.

Career - Chef — DB Bistro Moderne, New York City - Chef — Café Boulud, New York City - Executive Chef — Dirty Habit, Washington, D.C. (from 2016) - Executive Chef — 1789 Restaurant (from 2020) Education: Le Cordon Bleu at Brown College

Signature

Kyoo's signature dishes include brioche-crusted halibut, Ramp Risotto, and Spicy Tuna Tartare with Avocado.

Acclaim

Recognition here is dish-specific, which suits a kitchen that relies on composition more than spectacle. The brioche-crusted halibut was singled out by a critic as a dish that remained on the menu, giving that preparation a public life beyond a single service. The 2021 Ramp Risotto carries a precise moment in the 1789 timeline as a seasonal dish on the tasting menu. For Kyoo Eom, the attention settles on the food itself: exact dishes, exact ingredients, and the 2020 leadership role that brought them into view.

FAQ What is Kyoo Eom's current role? As of 2026, Kyoo Eom is Executive Chef. Where did Kyoo Eom train or study? Kyoo Eom trained at Le Cordon Bleu at Brown College.