Originally from Olympia, Washington, Chef Sarah Mar-Chun started her culinary career in Austin, Texas in 2013, however her passion and appreciation for the dining table has been with her since a young age. Growing up Korean and adopted by Chinese parents, her earliest food memories started with large family gatherings at Chinese banquets and long road trips driving to the best dim sum spots with her grandparents, overwhelmed with excitement by all the dishes and smells and large spreads shared with loved ones. “Going out of the way for good food was our love language,” Mar-Chun adds. “I always want to eat with people I’m close with.”

Drawing from her family's inspiration, food became a part of her personal and professional life, from compiling old recipes written in Half-English and Half-Cantonese from from her great-grandmother and even further back, to starting at 24 Diner as a Dishwasher, where she first realized her love for the culinary scene outside the home by playing a role and witnessing how a “real” kitchen operated. She knew then she wanted to learn, grow and eventually, become an Executive Chef herself.

Working her way up from Dishwasher to Lead Line Cook at 24 Diner, her passion for the industry began to build momentum. She took her culinary curiosities to Hopfields as a part-time Cook and eventually Chef De Cuisine where she had the freedom to work in a creative environment and fell in love with fermentation + pickling, adding a kimchi pancake and kimchi fried rice to the menu that became two of her signature dishes, inspired by her growing up. She then joined the South Congress Hotel culinary team as Banquet Chef for the hotel's main F&B program. In the beginning of 2019, Mar-Chun was promoted to Chef de Cuisine at Central Standard, the former bar & grill located at the hotel. Her seasonal comfort-food-driven menus and atmosphere fostered a place of community before and during the pandemic. Whilst taking a pause from restaurant life, this Mom of two strong daughters focused her crafts on curating nutrition driven postpartum meal programs. In late 2022, she rejoined her community at the South Congress Hotel as the Executive Chef.

At South Congress Hotel, Mar-Chun oversees culinary operations and direction for the hotel’s events and in-room dining programs; award-winning Lobby Bar; pool bar; onsite restaurant Café No Sé; and savory elements at Mañana, the hotel’s onsite coffee shop. Her direction for the culinary program is relaxed but polished, a place you can dress up or dress down, and comfortable for all. Through the various menus, Chef Mar-Chun seeks to showcase the melting pot & eclectic backgrounds of her team and the city in the food itself, backed by easy service and fare that feels like an Austin fusion — a little Tex-Mex, a little Southern, a little of her family’s recipes - reflective of the city and the people who work and live here.

“One thing I love about food is no matter where you go, it creates a sense of community — whether you’re the one making the food and finding the community within your kitchen team, or going out to eat with your friends. It’s always nice to see the work you put in the kitchen being translated on the other side, seeing people dining and laughing and enjoying what you’re putting out. I always dreamt of being an Executive Chef when I was in the dish pit, but beyond that, along the way I learned that what’s most important is to elevate and showcase my team and their work, because that’s what’s going to keep us going, staying relevant and feeling fostering our craft with others.”