Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan — New York's first Michelin-starred Korean fine-dining restaurant heats up Thursday night in Hell's Kitchen.
Huni Kim, chef and owner of Dangji on West 52nd Street, is struggling to keep his restaurant open after a fire next door forced everyone to evacuate.
“He was alive,” Chef Kim told Eyewitness News. “And now it looks like it's sick. It looks like it's almost taking its last breath. It looks like it's dying. It's very sad.”
Danji is on the verge of closing despite a fire in the store next door.
There was no damage to the restaurant, but the two restaurants are in the same building, and the New York City Department of Buildings ordered them to leave, forcing Danzi to wait.
I am maxing out all my credit cards to maintain this.
Danji Chef and Owner Kim Hoon Hee
Chef Kim was initially told he could reopen within three weeks.
It's been 6 weeks since then. Three months. It's almost been a year.
“If I had known from the beginning, I would not have planned differently,” he told Eyewitness News.
Chef Kim says he has monthly expenses of $20,000 to pay off loans, lease equipment and maintain key staff.
“The chef with me, I met him when he was 16, this was 25 years ago,” he said. “I taught him how to hold a knife, and he'll be my chef forever. I had to hold him back because without him Danzi wouldn't be Danzi.”
A spokesperson for Flatiron Real Estate Advisors told Eyewit News: “Repairs are being carried out as quickly as possible. All repairs are expected to be completed soon.”
For Dunge's owners, that can't happen anytime soon.
“We don't have any investors,” Kim admitted. “My wife and I are the only ones keeping this going by maxing out all our credit cards. And we're at the point now where we can see the end, and it's getting closer.”
To help cover costs, Kim started a GoFundMe.
“It’s a very small place, but it’s always fun and there’s always great energy,” he said.
