David Myers

ADRIFT Mare

David Myers, also known as ‘Gypsy Chef’, is a chef, restaurateur and global citizen who’s widely recognized for marrying his two greatest passions; food and travel. He draws upon the indigenous flavours and ingredients discovered throughout his travels to create a collection of engaging culinary concepts, each offering a unique take on regional cuisines blazed with David’s Californian roots and...

Before venturing into building his own brands, David trained under some of the world’s most respected chefs, including Charlie Trotter, Gerard Boyer and Daniel Boulud. After honing his skills at iconic restaurants throughout Chicago, France, Los Angeles and New York, David eventually settled in LA where he was lauded by industry titles such as Food & Wine, the James Beard Foundation and Angeleno Magazine for his passion and dedication to the culinary world. His first restaurant in LA – Sona – was awarded a Michelin star, while other successful concepts in the US included Pizzeria Ortica, Comme ça, and hinoki & the bird.

In 2010 David opened his eponymous concept, David Myers Café, in Tokyo and went on to adopt Asia as his culinary epicentre for the next decade with concepts including 72 Degrees Juicery & Café, Sola, Saltwater, Saltwater Kitchen, AnOther Place and ADRIFT. In 2017 he expanded his restaurant business to the Middle East where he has opened five concepts and counting.

In 2020, at the start of the global pandemic, David returned to LA to launch a long time passion project, ADRIFT Burger Bar in his hometown neighbourhood of Venice Beach. Within a year, the concept expanded into the Middle East with a pop-up at Expo 2020 Dubai. Part of the brand’s casual portfolio, the burger joint is one of several ADRIFT concepts that span casual, upscale dining and bar experiences.

David’s natural charm and charisma has gained him a following over the years through social media and appearances on TV shows including Iron Chef America, The Today Show, The Early Show, MSNBC’s Your Business, Top Chef, Master Chef, and Hell’s Kitchen. He has hosted web series ‘David Myers’ Hong Kong’ and ‘How to Build a Burger Bar in 30 Days, and was the co-host of ‘Shopping with Chefs’ on the Fine Living network. Luxury and lifestyle titles such as Esquire, GQ, Travel+Leisure and Condé Nast Traveller have celebrated him for his style both in and out of the kitchen.

His commitment to creativity, harmony and perfection in the kitchen has garnered remarkable success, including distinctions and awards by Food & Wine magazine, James Beard Foundation, Zagat, Wine Spectator and Angeleno Magazine. With 22 restaurants, 11 cities and 3 continents already under his belt, in 2023 David continues to expand his global restaurant footprint.