Janice Sung
West Village, Manhattan
Figure Eight is a New American Chinese restaurant that focuses on seasonal cuisine. On any given night you can find delicious seafood bites and ingenious American-Chinese creations, and on the weekend you have to stop by for afternoon tea. Unlimited finger sandwiches and pastries abound… Their talented pastry chef Janice Sung is baking the Busboy team favorites—preserved lemon tarts and cheddar scallion mochi madeleines—daily.
Full name, age, where are you from?
Janice Sung, 26. I was born in Seoul, South Korea and I spent about 4 years, collectively, living there. That's where I call home because my parents are there now, but other than that I've lived in New Jersey, Austin, Houston, Boston, Tonga, with a sprinkling of Hong Kong and North Carolina.
What is your title and where do you work?
I am the Pastry Chef at Figure Eight.
What inspired you to work in the food industry?
A strong aversion to balancing equations and the periodic table. When I was in the eighth grade, introductory chemistry was the one thing I could not wrap my head around. We had this teacher who was objectively a quirky, delightful human being, but wrote the most insane exams. My dreams of becoming a marine biologist and living on a boat in the ocean at 15 went down the drain with my grades, so instead of trying to redeem myself and studying more (sorry, mom), I would stay up and bake cookies for my class.
What is your biggest customer pet peeve?
Needy x confused. It's okay to know what you want and/or how you want something. If it's within our ability to accommodate then we absolutely should and will! However, if you are confused about what you actually want and/or how you want it and then get upset at our team because you realize you didn't want it that way at all for whatever reason... well.
What is your most blissful food moment?
Ripping hot, made-to-order pan of forced rhubarb clafoutis served with generous scoops of milk ice cream. Served seasonally right around my birthday (springtime) at King.
What dish do you want to perfect in the kitchen?
Definitely croissants and other laminated goods. If I could spend an entire week purely playing with butter and croissant doughs and different shapes, molds, fillings, etc. I would absolutely do that.
If you could shout out a colleague or friend in the industry who would it be and why?
Shoutout to Ellen Newman at Pelham Hospitality up in the Cape! She moved out of the city at the end of 2023 to accept a position at Pelham House Resort and its bakery, Pelham on the Rise, and I miss her so much. In the kitchen, she's a total crusher and an amazing leader, while still being down to earth and always trying to find ways to let her team grow and shine. Out of the kitchen, she's a great friend who listens and takes in, but will also check you in a supportive way. You can talk to her about anything ranging from work frustrations to cranberry bogs.
What is the best food city?
I have a soft spot for Hong Kong. I love the juxtaposition of the old and the new; of the local flavor and the global flavor meeting in this extremely dense port city. I love eating at dai pai dongs in the streets right by the Michelin restaurants, and sharing tables with strangers at cha chaan tengs or gossiping over pots of tea at yum cha. The way some people feel walking into a Cartier or a Louis Vuitton is probably similar to the way I feel walking into a Hong Kong bakery with its glossy egg tarts, bolobao fresh out of the oven, and boxes of six different Vitasoy flavors.
How do you relax outside of work?
As a pastry chef, I honestly relax by cooking savory food at home. I like that savory food often doesn't have a level of precision that is required in my day to day. You kind of go with the flow and make adjustments here and there whenever you feel like it, or you can substitute this for that so easily and at the end of it, you have a meal to share with a friend. Also, I find grocery shopping kind of therapeutic.
What is your astrology sign (including moon and rising)?
I'm a Pisces! I'm not sure about my moon and rising but according to Google, I'm a Libra moon and Taurus rising.
