Luke Sung

Where They Are Now

Semi-retirement did not hold for long. Luke Sung returned to the stove to open Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, and the move brought the same measured intensity that had already defined his work. As chef-owner, he approached the room with precision and a steady hand, treating the dining room as part of the craft rather than a separate stage. The reopening in Hayes Valley reads as continuity: a return to restaurant work on his own terms, with the same standards intact.

In Their Words “She came in at 5 p.m. On a Tuesday, when the dining room was empty. My partner didn’t tell me she was coming until she got there, and I didn’t know anything about her.” The line captures how timing and service shape the room: an empty dining room, an unannounced guest, and the pressure that comes from not knowing who is arriving or when. For Sung, the detail is not anecdotal decoration; it is part of how front of house and kitchen discipline meet in real time. “My high expectation for professionalism has failed me again and again — it just brings disappointment.” That sentence lays out a working standard in plain terms. Professionalism, in Sung’s framing, is not a slogan but a benchmark that gets tested in service, and one that has forced him to adjust his expectations without lowering them. The result is a practice shaped by repeated disappointment and an insistence on exactness anyway.

Career - Chef, Isa Restaurant (from 2000) - Chef-owner, Kis Cafe, Hayes Valley, San Francisco (until 2025)

FAQ What is Luke Sung's current role? Luke Sung is Chef-owner. Where did Luke Sung work before? Luke Sung's earlier career included Isa Restaurant and Kis Cafe. What recognition has Luke Sung received? James Beard Award nomination.