The sea has never been far from Jaeseung “David” Gwak’s life. He grew up in Namhae, an idyllic coastal village in South Korea, and cooked for years in the industrial port city of Qingdao, China.

But as of Oct. 9, the 36-year-old now runs a small kitchen in Imperial Beach hovering over the Pacific, at the end of the city’s historic pier.

“I’m used to being on the water,” said Gwak, also a veteran of the Korean Navy. “It reminds me of back home.”

Gwak’s new restaurant, the Korean-fusion Imperial Beach Kitchen , replaces a longtime staple, the Tin Fish, and marks the chef’s first business — a dream he built largely with his own hands.

But when Gwak first took over the pier-side space, it was still operating under the previous owners. The change in ownership was finalized this summer aft

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