Esther Choi with Mokbar & Ms. Yoo

Esther Choi is the Chef-Owner of Mokbar & Ms. Yoo. Growing up in rural New Jersey, Esther spent her childhood following her Korean grandmother around, who was a fixture in her community and known for her cooking. That is not to say, she was fearlessly independent and entrepreneurial early on, selling candy as a young teen to her friends and working in the hospitality business throughout her early adulthood. Soon enough, a pharmacy degree in Rutgers turned into a degree in psychology to a stint at Food Network to having her very own food hall in the coveted Chelsea Market.