It’s no secret that David Chang, of Momofuku fame, is kind of a big deal. He’s got four insanely popular restaurants in NYC, and has picked up 2 Michelin stars along the way. He’s authored a cookbook featuring his signature dishes, and most recently, a food journal aptly titled Lucky Peach. Not to mention the fact that his achievements aren’t exclusively culinary; he’s also been chosen as a Time 100 person, and GQ Man of the Year.

Where does the magic happen? It all begins in the Momofuku Culinary Lab, where invention and experimentation, are the modus operandi. This is the site of trial and error, from experimenting with everything from microbes to strawberry tops. Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan give us a sneak peek:

The Momofuku Culinary Lab is the tiny space where Chang, along with chefs Dan Felder and Dan Burns, “document mistakes and [try] to create new ideas.” (One such idea from our visit: Chang wondered why nobody cooks with strawberry tops. “I’ve always accepted that as something you just throw away. But we’ve never investigated, I’ve never been told why, other than it doesn’t taste good. It’s our jobs as cooks to take product that doesn’t necessarily taste good and make it taste good.”

The Lab is minimalistic, free of the high-tech kitchen equipment that fills most kitchen labs. The theme is simplicity at best, a quality that perfectly characterizes Momofuku’s cuisine.

Head over to Gizmodo to read the original article and check out the exclusive video!