Chef David Chang’s Rules For Food That Pops On Camera

A lot has changed since Momofuku founder and 2006 F&W Best New Chef David Chang began working in restaurant kitchens over two decades ago. Fussy fine-dining plates have given way to TikTok videos that invite viewers behind the scenes, forging deeper connections to what they eat. “That’s how food gets consumed these days, over social media,” says Chang.

This idea of social-first food was the driving force behind a recent experience hosted by Apple and Chang at his Los Angeles restaurant Majordomo. Twenty-six influencers were invited to experience the new Apple News+ Food platform, which now gives existing subscribers access to 100K+ recipes from than 60 publications, including two exclusive recipes from Chang for Food & Wine.

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Culinary filmmaker David Ma was also on hand, dishing out photography tips and tricks using the latest iPhone 17 lineup. We spoke with Chang before the event for his advice on how to create dishes worth capturing.

Bring on the crunch

For the event, Chang created dishes aimed at all the senses. “People eat with their eyes, and they eat with sound now,” he says.

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For his Karaage Fried Chicken Wonton Cupswhich take cues from Korean mandu, Chang sealed two dumpling wrappers together with an egg-and-cornstarch glue, then fried them up into puffed-up, rounded orbs inspired by classic French pommes soufflés. For a home-cook-friendly version, he offers an alternative method to bake them in muffin trays.

The result is a shatteringly crisp base for karaage fried chicken and a silky onion purée — a great reminder for content creators to prioritize audio cues in their videos, even with chef-quality dishes. “The great thing about having the new iPhone is that it captures the sound extremely well,” says Chang.

At home, Chang suggests turning to ingredients like cornflakes, pita chips, and chaat for extra crunch. “I’ve been known to just eat a whole box of feuilletine (shards of thin, sweetened crêpes used to create crunch in French pastries) like it’s cereal,” he adds.

Turn it into an experience

Chang was inspired by the Honey Dripper, a shave-ice treat popular in Jacksonville, Florida, to create the Paradise Freezewhich also references global treats like Korean pat-bingsu and Filipino halo-halo. Fluffy shaved ice and three fruit syrups seep down into an ice cream base for a multi-textured dessert that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

“That experience where it’s ephemeral and it’s changing in front of you is something I wanted to capture in this dessert,” says Chang.

Another way to create an experience is by allowing for customization. When it comes to the chicken cups, “now that we have this vessel, we could in theory put anything in there,” he says. The fillings can run the gamut from karaage fried chicken to a pani puri-inspired combination of chickpeas and potatoes. Top them with caviar, a soft-boiled egg, finely chopped herbs, or anything else you choose.

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Perfection is overrated

The days of picture-perfect social media photos are behind us. “These dishes might not be technically perfect, but there’s beauty in imperfection — and that’s what our food always tries to represent,” says Chang.

For the chicken cups, for example, Chang purposefully cracked the dumpling orbs open.

“(It) looks better when it’s jagged and imperfect.”

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We might not be able to taste a dish through the screen (yet). But in the meantime, technology like the new iPhone brings us one step closer to being a guest at Chang’s dinner table.