Dining out is always a treat. Whether it's a momentous occasion for a celebratory meal or a quick catch up at a new hotspot, coming together over a culinary experience can evoke uniquely joyful connections -- especially when it includes introducing someone to your favorite restaurant and encouraging a shareable spread of must-try bites.
Longtime food friends chef David Chang and model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen recently teamed up with comedian, writer and producer Joel Kim Booster for a new show on Freeform, "Chrissy & Dave Dine Out," with a simple concept: hosting dinner parties at top Los Angeles restaurants, inviting A-list guests to join their table for an evening of delicious food and dynamic conversations.
"It was really hard to find 100 or so restaurants -- then we narrowed it down to five or six, 'cause LA has some of the best restaurants in the world," Chang, the founder of Momofuku, told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday in tandem with the series premiere. "Then finding our friends that we wanted to pair with each restaurant. We wanted to bring the restaurant to the audience."
As Booster and Teigen play host to other celebrity friends -- including Jimmy Kimmel, Kimmel's wife Molly McNearney, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Gordon, Simu Liu, Regina Hall and others -- Chang heads to the back of house in the kitchen to give viewers an up close look at the meal being prepared with the chef.
"I'm in the kitchen helping translate some of the things happening there," he said, as Teigen and Booster hold court at the table.
"Nothing was off limits," Teigen said of the impromptu and at times unpredictable conversation. "Nobody wants boring chit chat. It really just happened."
Chang chimed in, adding, "I think the food is the reason why the conversation was so good. Great food can make people happy, get them to talk."
One of the restaurants to make Chang's list for the show's first season is Pizzeria Bianco, a rustic-chic Italian eatery in LA's Arts District.
"Chris Bianco, James Beard Award-winning chef and one of the greatest chefs America has ever produced, happens to make some of the best pizza, so we're really lucky to be with him," Chang said.
2023 James Beard Awards winners, honorees from Hawaii to Rhode IslandTeigen -- who was "very pregnant" during the show's taping -- said chef Bianco "brought tears to our eyes with the story and the way he spoke about food when he came out."
"His passion for what he does in something so simple, making it so beautiful, was emotional -- he's an artist," she said.
Teigen and Chang, who are both parents, also offered some simple advice for other parents bringing little kids out to a restaurant: "Don't," Teigen quipped instantly with a laugh.
"That's the best answer and it's true," Chang agreed.
The Momofuku restaurateur then shared a practical yet counterintuitive approach that has worked for his family, which he said includes "finding a loud restaurant that's quite busy -- you'd think they wouldn't like that but it's more for the other guests so there won't be a problem."
Teigen and Chang have been friends for the better part of two decades, going back to when Teigen and her husband, musician John Legend, frequented the Michelin star recipient's iconic East Village noodle bar.
"It's really fun and easy to promote a show with somebody that you love working with and something you're so proud of doing," Teigen concluded.
"Chrissy & Dave Dine Out" premieres Wednesday on Freeform and will be available to stream on Hulu Thursday.
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