Do you know what it takes to feed an entire company?

Here at Asana, we take our food very seriously. The Asana culinary team — now 15 strong — is incredible (seriously check out their Instagram account @asanaculinary for some major #foodenvy). They keep over 250 Asanas fed and caffeinated five days a week running the cafeteria-style, Cafe Luna and coffee bar, Cafe Narwhal. We even have a Slack channel dedicated to our in-office eats where the culinary team shares recipes and gives the rest of the company a peek at what’s on the menu.

The culinary team is led by executive chef Kim Pak, who has been cooking up delicious dishes at Asana for the past six years. As you can imagine, Kim is crazy busy, but we were able to get her out of the kitchen to answer a few questions about her culinary career, what inspires her, and what food she can’t get enough of.

So without further ado…

Let’s start from the beginning. What inspired you to become a chef?

Before I started, I didn’t think I’d be good at being a chef. I was always in the hospitality industry (I used to be a bartender), and decided to go to culinary school kinda late. I went for the management program, and you had to do a stint in the culinary arts program to get your degree. I fell in love with it.

Then I did an externship and loved being in the kitchen. One day when I was in class, it hit me — I knew this was what I wanted to do.

Switching gears a bit, what brought you to Asana?

I was living in San Diego, and went to culinary school with Donnie, who helped start the culinary program at Asana. He called me up, and asked if I could help out at Asana when he broke his arm. It sounded like a cool opportunity so I packed up and moved to San Francisco.

A few months later, JR and Dustin (Asana’s co-founders) offered me a full-time position. I’ve been here for six years now.

Where do you find your inspiration for new dishes?

Everywhere. We live in the city of food. There’s so much diversity, culture, and new ideas. It’s inspiring seeing different chefs create new things. And when it comes down to it, I think inspiration comes from the things around you and the things you experience.

To wrap it up, what advice would you give to someone who wants to become a chef?

Don’t believe the shows you watch. And definitely work in a restaurant before you spend the money to go to culinary school. You have to want it and be really passionate about it. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

Bonus: Nine more things to know about Kim… in her own words

• Favorite movie: 50 First Dates
• Favorite music: 90s hip hop
• Favorite food: Sandwiches (like Joey Tribbiani from Friends). There’s something about them that just fulfills me.
• Most underrated ingredient: Turmeric. It’s been around for so long, but it’s just started to become a thing. It has so many great qualities and health benefits. I’ve been using turmeric (especially fresh) for a while.
• Most overrated ingredient: Truffle oil
• Least favorite food: I pretty much like everything. Although, I’m allergic to shrimp.
• Favorite kitchen tool/gadget: Mandolin (with the different settings and blades). It makes cooking so much more fun.
• Coffee or tea: Tea. I stopped drinking coffee a while ago.
• Favorite food publication: Bon Appetit. Jamie Oliver is good too; he’s really about the cooking and not the fame.
• City with the best food: San Francisco, hands down.

Follow @asanaculinary on Instagram to see delicious bites from the team. Want to work with us? Explore job openings at Asana.