Masters Of Reinvention

Some people have the imagination, the brains, and the drive to change their fields. Here, a portfolio of leaders who are transforming the luxury landscape.

- Words: Jeremy Repanich, Jill Newman, Jonah Flicker, Mark Ellwood, Michael Verdon, Paige Reddinger, Rachel Gallaher, and Viju Mathew Photography: Emily Macinnes, Liz Clayman, and Marloes Bosch Fotografie

Simon Kim
The Visionary

At last year's US Open Tennis Championships, a six-piece chicken-nugget box stole headlines.

In a sea of customary sporting-event concession stands, restaurateur Simon Kim created a sensation serving the humble fare from his newest hit establishment—Coqodaq, a temple of high-end Korean fried chicken and champagne in Manhattan—and giving it an irresistible upsell. Fans in the premium seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium could order a US$100 version that came with creme fraiche and a tin of Petrossian caviar. “It’s that juxtaposition of highbrow and lowbrow that really works for us,” Kim says. After seeing the boxes splashed across traditional and social media, people sought out the little delicacies as they took in world-class tennis, but only fans on the club level had access to them. It was yet another master stroke from Kim, 42, who is ascending as one of the great restaurateurs of his generation: a visionary who has an innate ability to combine comfort and luxury into one elegant, decadent package.

Kim was born in Seoul and lived there until he moved to New York City as a teenager. After attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and establishing himself in the culinary industry in that city, he made his way back to Gotham. Kim worked under a pair of titans—Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten—before setting out on his own in 2013 to open the West Village Italian restaurant Piora, which earned him a Michelin star. Despite the acclaim, the place failed. While it may have impressed the little red guide, it didn't feel authentic to Kim. “I did a lot of things to please people,” he says. “I wasn't pulling it out of my heart; I was pulling it out of what I thought people would like and piecing that together.” That approach changed with his next venture.