Interview with Chef David Kuo of Little Fatty

Tucked into Mar Vista on the west side of Los Angeles sits Little Fatty, a neighborhood Taiwanese spot serving comfort with a side of cultural memory. What makes this Grand View Boulevard mainstay stand out? Chef David Kuo calls it Taiwanese soul food—layered, generous, and rooted in the kind of ingredient reverence that turns a humble cut into the centerpiece of the table.

Little Fatty is known for its barbecue pork hock — a four-hour-braise-meets-eight-minute-fry crispy showstopper — alongside a Thai-basil-finished Three Cup Chicken and a rotating cast of Taiwanese staples. Next door, David's cocktail bar Accomplice pours an inventive, ever-evolving drink program led by award-winning beverage director Adam Fournier — the kind of liquid counterpart built to stand up to Little Fatty's bold, bracing flavors. And just down the block, his third concept Fatty Mart reimagines the corner store as a multicultural micro-grocery, slinging Lemongrass Banh Mi, fresh dumplings, and pan-Asian comfort food alongside shelves stocked with hard-to-find pantry essentials and Fatty Corp's own house-made vinegars. 

As part of our 2026 Flavor Trend Report, we headed to Los Angeles to talk with David about umami, technique, trending flavors, the path from UCLA poli-sci grad to property management to Le Cordon Bleu and Michelin kitchens, Saturday-night dumpling memories with his mom, the case for fermented tofu, the iconic dishes that shape a cuisine, and a shared appreciation for all things Thai basil.

Read the full interview below.

Spiceology: What inspired you to start cooking?

"Growing up, my mother and grandmother used to cook traditional Taiwanese food at home. Every night it'd be like five to seven dishes. I had three older brothers, so, my family of like eight/nine, would sit down, eat, and really enjoy food together. It ingrained this thing about food that’s really important in my life. It really stuck with me. That's why I think (throughout my life), even in college, I had Iron Chef battles and barbecues at my apartment. Even though I was working in property management, I moonlighted at a restaurant and then just fell in love and then just went all in on restaurants."

Spiceology: You actually started in property management and moon-lit in kitchens? Do tell.

"Yeah. One of the properties that I was managing had a restaurant. I was fascinated and started volunteering cutting onions, learning some skills. I finally decided to get serious and go to cooking school at Le Cordon Blue Pasadena. After graduating, I worked at some great kitchens in Los Angeles and New York (including some Michelin star restaurants). So yeah, it was a great start to where I am now."

Spiceology: Where do you find inspiration when you're developing dishes?

"I look for inspiration through the past, through the iconic dishes of every cuisine. I try to learn the roots and history and the process of cooking that dish authentically before putting my little touch on it."

Spiceology: So cooking for you is foundational, very sincere and very comforting.

"It's all about soul food. That's why we call our restaurant (Little Fatty) Taiwanese soul food. It's like every cuisine, every country, every dish comes from something that has history, usually a lot of hardship. And that's why we extract a lot of flavors out of very few ingredients. And I think that goes across all cultures and all cuisines. It's like we all kind of eat the same. Yeah."

Spiceology: perf. What is a core food memory you have growing up from your childhood

"When I teach my dumpling class, I tell this story. Dumplings have a very special place in my heart. Every weekend, Saturday nights, my mom and I would make dumplings for my whole family. None of my brothers or my Dad wanted to cook. My mom would shred the carrots, cut the cabbage, make the mix and fold the dumplings. I had three older brothers. We all ate a lot. We would make all these dumplings. My mom would cook the dumplings in this special, non-stick pan. But we had a small place so she would have to make one batch per person at a time. Each batch would take about 10 minutes. So, my dad would eat first. So, that was 10 minutes. And then my oldest brother would eat next because… you know… traditional Asian household. Then my second oldest brother… then my third oldest brother… When he started eating, I knew I’d be next. I’d get everything ready. I’d mix my sauce, you know, black vinegar, ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce. I’d get my Coca-Cola with ice. I’d turned on my favorite cartoons. And then it would be my turn and I would savor these dumplings. I'd inhale them. I always had resentment because I thought I was the last one to eat because I was the youngest. So, after I ate my dumplings, I would go to the kitchen and look for seconds. And I realized then who really ate last… my mom. Now I make all the dumplings."

Spiceology: What is your favorite dish at Little Fatty?

"My favorite dish has to be barbecue pork. I think it symbolizes soul food. You know we call ourselves Taiwanese soul food, right. It's pork hock, which is familiar to everyone's cuisine. It's usually like a throwaway cut, a lowly cut. That's what we love to “specialize it”, basically taking something that's not really regarded as special and making it special. We take this big piece of meat. We cook it in soy, raw sugar, and a mixture of five spice, garlic and ginger then we braze it for four hours until it's nice and tender. Then we chill it down and the next day we wash it off and air dry it sort of like peeking duck and so when an order comes in we fry it for eight minutes and it gets really crispy."

Spiceology: Well, I’m hungry again.

"The meat gets really juicy and tender and then we dunk it in our housemade Chinese barbecue sauce. Then it's plated family-style on a platter. This dish is meant to be shared. We serve it with extra barbecue sauce and this Chinese hot mustard we make. This dish is really fun and interactive. You get to cut the meat, make little flavor boats. You have to make sure you get some crispy skin, brazed meat and sauce. It's really really great."

Spiceology: I love that. What is your favorite dish at Fatty Mart?

"Has to be the Lemongrass Bahn Mi right now. It's our number one seller. We wanted to pay homage to the Bahn Mi but with our own version. We make a special marinade of grilled lemongrass, sriracha and hoisin mayo. The sandwich has all the traditional fixings like jalapeno, pickled daikon, carrots, and cucumber but we also drizzle it with a little bit of scallion oil."

Spiceology: Where did the name Little Fatty come from?

"Again, I have three older brothers, the oldest of whom was 12 years older than me So they were teenagers when I was young. I love to eat food and my mom and grandma made incredible food, so, you know, I got a little big. And my brothers called me “little fatty” in Chinese. It had to be my restaurant’s name."

Spiceology: You opened Little Fatty before Fatty Mart?

"Yeah. Little Fatty’s been around for like 12-13 years. Fatty Mart has been three. It's been a great journey."

Spiceology: What's your favorite thing about Fatty Mart?

"Fatty Mart gives me an opportunity to really explore and pay homage to different Asian cuisines and the flavors of LA. Right now, we're researching new Vietnamese recipes, more cold noodles, grab and go fresh spring rolls, stuff like that. Those are about to launch and we're looking at launching poke and hand rolls too."

Spiceology: All right, let's talk about umami. Chef, talk me through what your perspective on umami is, what you know umami to be and how it is incorporated in little fatty and fatty corp in general.

"We always think about the five tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami) but especially umami. Umami tastes really of richness, “meatiness." Some call it savory. We try to think about how we achieve that taste besides just adding brazed meat or something like that. For instance, we use fermented tofu, which is really funky but it’s also earthy umami that adds backbone. Umami basically adds soul to a dish. But you always have to balance with salt, sweetness, that kind of thing. Remember, acid always cuts the fat."

Spiceology: Talk to me about three cup chicken? I mean, I know personally after eating a bowl at Little Fatty that it's so f****** good. But talk to me about how it came to be on your menu and what makes it three cup chicken.

"Three cup chicken is sort of like our (Taiwan’s) national dish. I mean, there are several dishes that Taiwan is known for, but every household makes Three Cup chicken. Everyone has a little bit of a different recipe, but traditionally it's one cup rice wine, one cup sesame oil, and one cup soy sauce. At Little Fatty, we use different kinds of soy sauce and a confit of ginger and garlic to get deeper flavor. We braise the chicken in this awesome, umami-rich sauce and then we finish it with dried chilies and of course the signature… Thai basil." 

Spiceology: Thai basil over Italian sweet basil or holy basil?

"Yeah. So, it's funny that it's called Thai basil when there's a lot of naturally growing Thai basil in Taiwan. It's used in a lot of traditional Taiwanese dishes like Popcorn Chicken, Three Cup Chicken, that sort of thing."

Spiceology: I'm in alignment with you. Thai basil all day long over every other kind of basil. I love the pepperiness.

"It's more herbaceous and like you said peppery. It’s more flavorful and prominent in the dish. We always fold it in at the end.  NEVER with heat. ALWAYS off heat to preserve that flavor."

Spiceology: Uh, what spice do you think is undervalued?

"Right now we use a lot of cardamom in Taiwanese cooking… in all our braises and stuff like that. I've been using it in our stocks too. I really like pairing it with five spice to make some really rich umami tasting broths."

Spiceology: Do you have a favorite cookbook right now?

"Right now I am reading Bad B*tch in the Kitch: Craveable Asian Recipes to Ditch the Takeout: A Cookbook by Cassie Yeung. She's an Instagram famous person. The recipes are really awesome. I did a book signing with her where we cooked five dishes from her book. It’s one of the most well-written books that I've read in at least 5 years. Every story felt like it was from my childhood. If you read the book, you'll understand how food connected her family."

Spiceology: What is a restaurant or bar that you would go out of your way to make a pilgrimage to?

"Oh man... I’ve been going to a lot of ethnic places but I would definitely say 886 in New York. It’s co-owned by an up and coming Taiwanese chef, Eric Sze. He's a great chef. Follow him. He makes great content about the Taiwanese diaspora. Yeah."

Spiceology: Awesome.

"My favorite place to go in Los Angeles right now is Isizakaya Hero. It's in Westwood. It's awesome. It's like you're transported to Japan.  You can get yakitori and izakaya food. We love mutsu nab (pork intestine stew). It’s great on a rainy day."

Spiceology: Well, thank you, Chef. I appreciate it. And I'll see you next time I'm out there.

"Yeah. Let me know.