One of the world’s most inventive and outspoken chefs, David Chang has been challenging culinary conventions since 2004 when he opened Momofuku Noodle Bar, in New York City. In the years that followed, he built a veritable restaurant empire that now dots the globe. In a revealing conversation with GQ’s Jim Nelson, Chang opens up about how hard—and how rewarding—that path has been. Chang describes, among other things, what he’s learned from failure, how he’s addressed his notorious temper, and why he thinks that wisdom sometimes gets in the way of creative genius.