Meet Fu-Mao Sun | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fu-Mao Sun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fu-Mao, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Reason for starting the Taiwanese-American Popup, Mighty Hans

I grew up eating the Taiwanese food that my mom made. As a kid I would take summer trips to Taiwan to visit family. My mom and I would explore the Taipei night markets and street food. My young impressionable mind was blown away. The summer trips only proliferated my curiosity in the cuisine. As I got older I realized it is not very easy to find food that shares any resemblance to my mothers cooking. Unless you went to Flushing NY or the San Gabriel Valley, Taiwanese food was nowhere to be found. Along with my passion for cooking, one of the reasons why I went to culinary school was to gain the proper chef credibility to carve out a small piece of the industry for Taiwanese food. My intention is to simply share my version.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started cooking professionally later in my life. I entered into the corporate finance after college and found that it wasn’t for me. I always had a love and appreciation for food and the craft of cooking so I enrolled in culinary school and would attend at night after getting off of work. After graduating culinary school I immediately quit corporate and started working at a restaurant in NYC. I definitely had to stay on my toes and learn the culture of the kitchen fast. There were chefs from all over the world that had way more experience than I had. All I could do was absorb as much information from as many chefs as I could and try to hone my craft. Definitely came with a fare share of mistakes and deep breaths in the walk-in fridge. Since moving to Atlanta I can safely say that I will be forever learning to cook. Its a career that has kept me curious.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have two young kids so a night out is definitely rare, but I have been able to piece together amazing meals in Atlanta. I would first compile a list of delicious places to eat and second take my friend to those places. Some of those places would include:

Pasta and meatballs at 246
Every dish at Staplehouse
Korean food at Yeh Tuh
Sichuan food at Masterpiece
Intimate and delicious meal at Gato and GiGi’s
Thai masters at Talat
Some Turo Turo at Kamayan
Lao food with SoSo Fed
Tacos at Chicago Supermarket
BBQ at Sweet Auburn

I would introduce my best friend to my good friends Anthony and Lino and have drink(s) at Octopus Bar

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Family, amazing friends that I’ve met through starting this popup, and definitely my wife, Amy for years of support from culinary school to present

Website: mightyhans.com

Instagram: @itsmightyhans

Facebook: @itsmightyhans

Other: itsmightyhans@gmail.com

Image Credits
photos by Bryan Liang