Mixing inspiring words with self-deprecating witticisms, renowned culinary entrepreneur Roy Choi implored the 2024 graduating class from Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics to use their education and expertise to “bridge some of the inequities with the choices that you make in the businesses that you build” and to “lead with kindness, love and generosity.”
Choi, who graduated from CSUF in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, was the commencement speaker for the graduation ceremony, which was held May 22 in Titan Stadium.
The celebrated chef and architect of the gourmet food truck movement was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree for his accomplishments in the culinary world, which he intertwined with activism within social justice causes.
Choi is the host of the Emmy award-winning series “Broken Bread,” which centers around using food as a vehicle for change.
“Luckily, we have this thing called food that we were able to use as a bridge to be able to get our philosophies and change the world in our small way,” he said.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Choi, 54, gained acclaim as co-founder of the Korean-Mexican taco truck, Kogi BBQ, and for his New York Times bestselling autobiography, “L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.”
Born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in Los Angeles, Choi has been credited for being a main architect of the gourmet food truck boom.
“I think I finally have to grow up now that I’ve got this honorary doctorate,” joked Choi, who was named one of Time magazine’s “TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world” in 2011 and 2016. “I’ve been avoiding it for a very long time. I like being a kid inside.”
Choi acknowledged being in a “very, very dark place in life,” and having no ambition during his early days at Cal State Fullerton.
“I did not want to be here,” he said. “I did not want to do much at all. I would spend a lot of time alone, walking through this arboretum, hanging out on the top floor of the Humanities building, eating my lunch, just walking with an angry face throughout campus.”
Choi said his outlook began to change, however, when he got more involved in campus life, making friends and joining clubs.
He recounted his transition from his role of “class clown” to being a dedicated student who learned lessons from professors that he applied in and out of the classroom.
“And they started to change my point of view and the way I looked at the world,” Choi said. “And then I started to find my activist voice here on campus. And I started to figure out who I was. I started to stand up for things, and all that happened here on this campus. Those things became the building blocks of eventually who I had become in life and the things that we try to put out there into the universe.”
In 2020, “Broken Bread” earned Choi a James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Host in a Television Series.
Choi is also co-host of the Netflix cooking series “The Chef Show,” with Jon Favreau.
Choi was named one of the top 10 Best New Chefs of 2010 by Food and Wine magazine, the first food truck operator to earn the distinction.
His restaurants include Sunny Spot, in Venice, and Best Friend, in Las Vegas.
“I felt like his comments were very inspiring, you know, coming from the same school and accomplishing what he’s accomplished,” business school graduate Joshua Kazakos said. “It just goes to show that it could be from any of us, which is great. I really liked his message about feeding the world and being the change that you want to see.”
Graduate Theresa Abadjian was also uplifted by Choi’s commencement address and appreciated his candor.
“I thought he was amazing,” Abadjian said. “His personality was really out there, which was inspiring. The way he spoke, the story he had to tell, and he was really inspiring to people who are afraid to take on something new.”
As a person who’s overcome challenges in life, graduate Matthew Macias was moved by Choi’s ability to redirect his life and his commitment to giving back.
“There’s been lots of stuff that has really touched me today and gave me inspiration to continue forward,” Macias said. “I’m at this level where it’s like, do I want to keep going, or do I want to stop? He did it in 30 years. Maybe I can do it a little sooner and continue to give back to the world.”
