NAC: What are some of the most memorable dishes from your childhood in Korea (and, subsequently, in the States)?  How does your adult palate reflect these foods?

CHOI: Without a doubt, I remember eating galbee, bulgogi, and jap chae the most. I LOVED jap chae, and any kind of noodles for that matter. Cha jang myun too! It's a super cheap, Chinese-influenced noodle dish that's made with black bean sauce, plus oil from rendered pork fat, also with onions in it.  It sounds kind of hideous, but it's so delicious and hearty.

Whenever there is a Korean gathering, be it a church event, birthday celebration, or summer picnic, there's always jap chae and either bulgogi or gal bee, both if you're lucky. That was one way that my mom was able to get me to go to any function as a kid, by luring me with the promise of good food! Nowadays, I go to 32nd street for Korean cooking that reminds me of my childhood. This is, of course, when I can't make it home. My parents live nearby, which is great, so whenever I go home, we always go out for Korean.  Nothing fancy, just authentic, simple home-cooking type of food that tastes flavorful and savory.

NAC: If you could host any three people for a dinner party, who would it be, what would you ask them, and what would you serve?

CHOI: The three people I would invite would be George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton. The four of us would have the best time, by the way! George because he's so charming and witty, Oprah because she's so uninhibited and always speaks her mind, and Bill because he's brilliant and has a way with words that makes you really listen up. One thing they all have in common is their positive energy, which is something I'm really drawn to. They all do good things without even necessarily TRYING to. They're all natural leaders, and they all seem very humble, which I like.  They're all down-to-earth and are just having a ball being themselves.

What would I serve? It would be a cocktail party, just drinks primarily...I'd want to get them all lit so they'd really open up and be themselves. Great wines are an absolute must too, plus some fresh fruits and an array of yummy and stinky cheeses, but not much more than that. As far as asking them questions, I don't think I'd go with an agenda.  With personable people like these, being spontaneous and going with the flow is the best thing. We may start off with cocktails and all end up on a private jet to Morocco with a crowd like this.

NAC: Do you cook?

CHOI: I love to cook, but don't do it often.  My life and work centers around food, I am surrounded by it, and I think about food constantly. So, it's rare that I get home and want to cook, especially for myself.  But I know what flavors taste good together, and I have absolutely no preconceived notions about what ingredients should go with what.  Some people may use cinnamon for just sweet dishes, for example, but I like to use different spices and flavors for whatever I think will taste good with them. I like to mix opposing flavors.  It's all about textures and balance. I absolutely love creamy textures; avocados, nut butters, baba ganoush, runny eggs--especially the yolks!

NAC: You appeared as a guest judge on "Iron Chef: America". Tell us some secrets behind the judging.  What are you looking for when you taste these dishes?   Is it intimidating to judge food prepared by the Iron Chefs?  What was the most memorable dish you ate on the show?

CHOI: Iron Chef Morimoto was up against Fortunato Nicotra of restaurant Felidia in New York. I will tell you, at that level, the food and cooking is really, really top-notch. You're not going to taste a crappy dish, at least I didn't. The secret ingredient was kampachi, which is baby yellowtail. and I absolutely love this ingredient, so my taste buds were happy.  Being a judge on "Iron Chef" was a total dream of mine, so when I got the call to do it, I was really psyched! 

Before judging the dishes you get a scorecard to record your thoughts, so judging isn't intimidating - I think the thing I was most concerned with was trying to be as fair as possible and not to be swayed by who the Iron Chef is. 

If I could judge "Iron Chef" every day, all day long, I would. I think the part that I wished I could have seen more of was just in the actual show itself when it aired - during the taping, us judges get to joke around more with the two chefs, ask them questions about why they made what they did, and get to joke around with each other more and have fun.  Because of time, the editors edit that part out, and it's too bad, because it's in these moments that you get to know not only what we as judges like or don't, but you really get to see the personality of the chefs a lot more, and that's always eye-opening.

NAC: What's your favorite part about your job?

CHOI: Meeting chefs and learning about ingredients are the most interesting parts of my job. I have so much respect and admiration for the cooks in this city, working those long hours every day and putting out consistently good food for finicky eaters.  It's something I celebrate in a book I'm working on, called "The 25 Most Delicious Dishes in New York." There are so many more wonderful dishes out there, but these are just some of my favorites.  I am always astounded at how much good food there is here. There's just no excuse to eat a bad meal, at any price point, but let me tell you, when I eat something that I don't like, I get really mad! And the only way I can right that wrong is to eat something really delicious right after it.