The sea has never been far from Jaeseung “David” Gwak’s life. He grew up in Namhae, an idyllic coastal village in South Korea, and cooked for years in the industrial port city of Qingdao, China.
But as of Oct. 9, the 36-year-old now runs a small kitchen in Imperial Beach hovering over the Pacific, at the end of the city’s historic pier.
“I’m used to being on the water,” said Gwak, also a veteran of the Korean Navy. “It reminds me of back home.”
Gwak’s new restaurant, the Korean-fusion Imperial Beach Kitchen, replaces a longtime staple, the Tin Fish, and marks the chef’s first business — a dream he built largely with his own hands.
But when Gwak first took over the pier-side space, it was still operating under the previous owners. The change in ownership was finalized this summer after the Port of San Diego, which maintains and operates the pier, approved a transfer of Tin Fish’s leasehold interest to Gwak’s company in August, Port spokesperson Brianne Page said in an email.
To make the place his own, Gwak came in after hours — arriving around 8 each night, when the last customers had gone home, and working until 1 or 2 in the morning.
The new Imperial Beach Kitchen restaurant on the end of the Imperial Beach Pier on Oct. 16, 2025 in Imperial Beach, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“I painted all of this with some of my employees,” he said, motioning to walls covered with fresh coats of seafoam green paint. “The outside I painted, all this inside. I cut the pipes, installed the new kitchen equipment. It took a long time.”
For nearly a month, he kept that routine, transforming the small seaside restaurant piece by piece. He wanted the kitchen to feel more open — a space where customers could see their food being made and the people making it. “Before, if a customer came up to the counter and someone was in the kitchen, you couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see you,” he said. “But now, I opened it up so the customer can see into the kitchen. It was a lot of work.”
He also converted a back storage area into a dining room, a place where visitors could sit and stay warm during the colder months.
“In the winter it gets cold, and I want people to be able to sit here and eat their food,” he said. “And I want to get hot tea, hot soup, hot sake, something warm for the winter.”
For Gwak, the project marks his first business venture after two decades working as a sushi and Korean chef. He attended culinary school in Korea and said he later worked for more than five years at a five-star hotel in Qingdao, China. He moved to San Diego in 2016, following his then-girlfriend who moved to the U.S. to study at San Diego State University.
“We went to the same high school and middle school,” he said. “Our houses were about a 10-minute walk from each other.”
A Bulgogi Bowl, tender beef with rice and salad at the new Imperial Beach Kitchen restaurant on the end of the Imperial Beach Pier on Oct. 16, 2025 in Imperial Beach, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“She was a longtime friend, and then when I was in China, I was alone — I was thinking about her, missing her,” Gwak added. “So I contacted her. And saw she was at SDSU. So we started talking and then I came here.”
He said he’s now married with two kids.
While here, he worked at several local Korean and Japanese restaurants before deciding to open his own place.
“I wanted to start my business, my own restaurant,” Gwak said. “At first, I was thinking about opening up a franchise restaurant. But I couldn’t make my own menu if I did that. I wanted to make my own menu. So, I opened up my own restaurant.”
Imperial Beach Kitchen held a soft opening earlier this month and plans to celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 27.
During a recent visit, customers filtered in for to-go orders and poke bowls while Gwak and his small team worked behind the counter. “Business has been good so far,” he said.
Among those helping with the transition is Gibram Raggio, a 34-year-old employee who previously worked at The Tin Fish for two years before returning to join Gwak’s new team.
“Everything he’s put on the menu — people have been buying ramen, the takoyaki, the dumplings, everything,” Raggio said. “And we still have our classics under our classic section. Yeah, same recipe for the fish and chips or fries. Everything’s the same.”
Raggio said most customers are locals who stop by for the familiar favorites, though some visitors have come from as far as Seattle. “They see our menu, they’re like, oh my god. So they try the new stuff,” he said.
Gwak said he plans to continue refining the menu, incorporating sushi, Korean dishes, and fusion items that blend Asian and Mexican influences. He also hopes to eventually open earlier in the day to serve breakfast, coffee, and warm sandwiches for the morning crowd.
“I also want to try to make more seasonal food,” he said. “Just try to make the menu special.”
Gwak said his approach to cooking is rooted in curiosity and self-teaching more than family tradition. He didn’t learn in his mother’s kitchen but from the television, studying chefs who cooked with joy and ease.
“The first time I knew I wanted to be a chef, I was 12-years-old watching Jamie Oliver. He just always seemed to be happy, and cooking with friends,” Gwak said. “That’s always what I wanted to do.”