Q&A with Chef Diego Ng
A 2025 inductee to the Kikkoman Kitchen Cabinet, our inner circle of leading-edge chef partners, Chef Diego Ng’s cooking tells his life story on a plate.
Born in Venezuela to Chinese parents and raised in the US from the time he was 13, Chef Diego Ng’s love of food and hospitality was fueled by his family’s frequent gatherings around meals that celebrated their dual heritage.
Chef Diego is the co-founder and chef at Temple Street Eatery in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, which he and Chef Alex Kuk, opened in 2014. Together, they bring a vibrant blend of cultural influences to their menu, marrying the rich flavors of Latin America with the traditional small bites and dishes of Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, and Vietnamese cuisines.
Q: Was there a moment early on that changed everything for you?
A: Yes, when I was going to FIU, I volunteered to work at the South Beach Food and Wine festival, and I saw that Chef Morimoto was cooking there. He was one of my idols, and I said, “I don’t care what I have to do, I’m going to volunteer for him.”
When the festival was over, I made a little business card, and I handed it to Morimoto, and I said, “Chef, I’m just a student volunteer, but if there is ever an opportunity, I would love to work with you guys.”
Three months later, I got a call, “If you’re serious about working with us, we’re opening a location in Boca Raton, and you could do a stage.” I said, “Absolutely, yes!”
They gave me a position in the pantry, and over the next four years, I worked through all the stations—salads, sushi, breaking down fish, butchering, and everything—it was an amazing apprenticeship. So, I’m glad I made that little business card!
Q: What’s your philosophy of food and cooking?
A: When I was starting out, I always got assigned to make the family meal. But after a while, I realized, it wasn’t just because I was the young one. It was also because the chefs really liked my cooking. One time a chef said to me, in front of everybody, “You cook like my grandma.” Everyone laughed, but I knew he meant it as a compliment, and I took it that way. And I think that was the start of my philosophy: It’s not just about the flavors you create; it’s how your food makes people feel.
When I was traveling, what caught my attention most was the street food. In every country, you find hawker stalls where both the rich and the poor share the same food. It brings people together. So when I finally decided to open a restaurant, I said, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to create a mom-and-pop shop where people can enjoy comforting, home-style food.’ Today, we describe our restaurant’s concept as ‘Asian American Comfort Food.’ Our menu features rice bowls, noodle bowls, sandwiches, dumplings, and small bites—something for everyone.
Q: Tell us about a few dishes on your menu that express that idea of “Asian American Comfort Food.”
A: Our Katsu Burger is the dish that started the whole Temple Street Eatery journey. When I was in Kobe, Japan, I found this little butcher shop where they were serving menchi katsu. Menchi means “minced meat” and menchi katsu is a minced meat patty that’s breaded and fried. They put katsu sauce and mayo on it, wrap it in paper, and you eat it handheld as you’re walking around. I took one bite, and I thought, “This is amazing! How could I translate this for the US?” I didn’t think America was ready for a fried meat patty wrapped in paper, so I got the idea of turning it into a burger on a bun. When I came back to Florida, I started doing katsu burger popups, and people loved it. And that’s what gave me the confidence to open my own restaurant.
I used Kikkoman® Panko for the breading, and then over time, I started adding my own touches, like switching from a sesame bun to a fluffy steamed bao bun with sesame seeds on top. And then I changed the traditional shredded cabbage to a slaw with an amazing sesame dressing made with Kikkoman® Tamari, Rice Vinegar, and Sesame Oil blended with mayo. And then tapping into the Latin side, I added fresh pineapple that really cuts through the deep-fried flavor. And now it’s one of our most popular dishes. It’s got sweet, tangy, fluffy, crunchy, meaty, pineapple—it’s like a flavor and texture overload!
The Katsu Burger
Bulgogi Cheesesteak
Another signature sandwich is our Bulgogi Cheesesteak. When I was working in New York, I would go to the Korean BBQ joints all the time. And then I did a trip to Philly, and I loved all the different cheesesteak shops, and I thought, “Hey, what about a cheesesteak with bulgogi beef?”
For our Bulgogi Cheesesteak, we marinate steak with Kikkoman® Less Sodium Soy Sauce, Kotteri Mirin®, Sesame Oil, ginger, onion, garlic, and honey. And then we cook it on the flattop and add provolone cheese. The provolone adds a lot of umami—and it’s also a bit of a nod to that Latin melted-cheese comfort factor.
Q: What Kikkoman ingredient are you obsessed with right now?
A: The Kikkoman® Kotteri Mirin® . I love to throw it into pretty much everything. It adds a nice sweetness and a beautiful shine and glaze. We use it in our shoyu broth with homemade dashi, sake, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and then I add mirin to bring out the sweetness. I use it in our kakuni, the braised pork belly we add to our ramen. I braise the pork with sake, soy sauce and seasonings, let it cool, and then slice and sear it with the Kotteri Mirin.
And Kikkoman® Katsu Sauce is another one of those great ingredients more chefs should be using!
Q: What advice would you give to chefs who want to explore marrying Asian flavors with other global flavors?
A: I would say, ‘Less is more.’ Don’t just add Asian ingredients and assume, ‘Now it’s Asian.’ Take soy sauce, for example—the beauty of it is how it blends with other ingredients. Taste as you go and keep everything balanced. It’s the harmony of flavors that makes a dish truly delicious.
