Danny Bowien Reveals His Next Dream Project - Exclusive

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The culinary wunderkind who stunned the country in 2010 when he opened Mission Chinese in San Francisco doesn't know exactly what he'll do next. Danny Bowien is out of the restaurant business for now — having shuttered his Lower East Side and Bushwick outposts in New York City in 2020 and 2022 respectively. In another world, the chef might have been sour. Two years ago, for example, Bowien closed his Lower East Side location on the heels of scandal. Grub Street talked to disillusioned employees who reported a "zero tolerance" and abusive atmosphere in that location's kitchen that Bowien, allegedly, turned a blind eye to. Bowien apologized profusely for this. As he told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview, he learned, early in his career, the importance of owning up to his errors, and described learning to say sorry as "humbling" and "cleansing."

For what it's worth, this year's restaurant closure seems radically different. Bowien told Tasting Table that he and the Bushwick staff "he has" are close. "I say 'have' because we're all still in contact," he clarified. "Closing Mission Bushwick was very bittersweet because everyone that was there is moving on and doing new things, but we're all better because of each other," Bowien reflected. "So I'm really grateful for that. I think that really does influence how I'm feeling now, which is just really grateful and thankful."

So, what's next for Danny Bowien? Another slightly psychedelic, out-of-this-world, taste-bud-awakening restaurant — Mission or otherwise — is not written in the stars.