Our story

Scoville Hot Chicken is a story about how inspiration leads to passion, and how the pursuit of a dream can unexpectedly change lives in ways you never imagined. I had traveled the world to try the best ramen and eventually opened my ramen shop in Los Angeles, which won the Michelin Bib Gourmand award. I was very proud of that award and thought that I'd focus on ramen for the rest of my life.

However, just a couple of blocks away from my restaurant, I saw that there was always a huge line of people waiting to eat at Howlin' Ray's restaurant. So one day, I too stood in line for nearly 3 hours, and tried one of the spicy fried chicken sandwiches known as "Nashville Hot Chicken." I was blown away! I've tried so many interesting foods during my travels to many parts of the world, but nothing struck me like that spicy fried chicken. I met with Chef Johnny Ray Zone, who's not only a great chef, but a great all-around person, and I felt more inspired than ever before.

My new passion in life became Nashville Hot Chicken, and I decided to learn as much as I can about it, then eventually develop my own and bring the concept to Atlanta. So I ate at every hot chicken restaurant in Los Angeles multiple times. I then traveled to Nashville to learn from the originators of the concept. I researched the flavors and spiciness of numerous types of peppers and learned all about the Scoville Scale. I experimented with spicy, tangy, crispy, crunchy, and myriad flavors in every permutation to find the perfect blend for my hot chicken. After more than two years of pursuing my newfound passion, and after countless taste tests with friends and neighbors, I finally launched Scoville Hot Chicken.

Only in America can a Korean-American kid growing up in Los Angeles go on to win a Michelin award for Japanese ramen and then launch a chain of Nashville Hot Chicken restaurants in the Atlanta metro area! Be inspired, follow your passion, and let life take you to new heights!