Other
Susan Choi
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
In 2023, Susan Choi was Digital Media Director at The Food Institute, a position that sat between food culture and the way that knowledge is packaged, circulated, and absorbed. In her own words, the work begins earlier than presentation: "I'm a chef and as a chef I know that the ingredients is the base of everything." The point is plain. Before technique or concept, there is the material itself. She has also said, "It's all about the ingredient, then the quality of the technique, then the quality of the ideas." That ordering is the craft logic she returns to: ingredient first, then technique, then ideas. For Susan Choi, sequence is part of the method. The hierarchy is not decorative; it is how the work holds together.
The Path
Today, Susan is a teacher at Princeton University and the owner of Mr. Susan bar. Teaching and ownership sit on opposite sides of the same discipline: one passes on knowledge, the other tests it in real time. In Susan Choi’s case, the classroom and the bar point to the same standard — fundamentals first, then the work of shaping them with care. That standard comes through in how she describes her practice. The language is spare, but the structure is exact: ingredient, technique, ideas. Susan Choi treats that order as more than a slogan. It is a working principle, and it keeps the emphasis where she wants it — on what is already there, on how it is handled, and on what the idea adds after the base has been set.
The Work Today
She was Digital Media Director at The Food Institute in 2023. The role placed Susan Choi in a space where food meets communication, and where clarity matters as much as content. Her own framing stays with the craft beneath the surface: "It's all about the ingredient, then the quality of the technique, then the quality of the ideas." In that view, the ingredient remains the base of everything, not an accessory to the final presentation.
In Their Words “It's all about the ingredient, then the quality of the technique, then the quality of the ideas.” “I'm a chef and as a chef I know that the ingredients is the base of everything.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Susan
What is Susan Choi's current role?
As of 2026, Susan Choi is Digital Media Director.
What recognition has Susan Choi received?
Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award (2009).
