Meghan Markle’s Netflix pal Roy Choi’s drug struggles before TV chef stardom

Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, will see her cook up dishes in the kitchen with celebrity friends and famous chefs, including Roy Choi – who has faced a number of battles on his way to culinary stardom

Chef Roy Choi has overcome more than most to get to the top.

He’s spoken openly about using drugs and gambling when he was younger, as well as battling anxiety, depression and addiction. But now, at the age of 55, he’s influenced an entire food movement, appeared on a number of TV cooking shows and been listed on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list twice – all while running a hugely successful business.

And he’s about to add cooking with a royal to his impressive CV. Roy is one of the many famous faces joining Meghan Markle on her new lifestyle Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. The show is set to drop on the streaming giant today, and fans can’t wait to see the next step in Meghan’s post-royal journey.

Roy, who is originally from South Korea but moved to Orange County in California when he was two, features briefly in the trailer, and can be seen telling Meghan “we’re family now”. He is best known for his role in kick starting the food truck movement along with his business partner Mark Manguera with their brand Kogi Korean BBQ.

The pair turned their idea of selling Korean tacos out of their van into a massive business with a huge social media following, and inspired thousands of others to do the same. But Roy didn’t get into cooking until later in life after he had already faced many battles.

Speaking to AskMen back in 2019 he opened up about struggling to fit into his posh new hometown. He also claims his creative mindset meant he struggled with the formal settings of school and working towards getting a 9-5 job. He told the publication: “It was really difficult. I went through a lot of drugs and gambling all the way into my mid-twenties.

“I could never express myself in the traditional forms and it sent me spiralling into anxiety, depression, and addiction because I had to abandon my creative feelings and go and get a traditional job, try to go to school.”

He then battled a gambling addiction, which led to a troubled five years of drinking every day and sleeping in motels. He also admits losing a lot of his friends during that period. However it was during this time that he became inspired by a new career path after watching American chef Emeril Lagasse on a TV cooking show.

He told AskMen: “At my lowest point, I found cooking. I was watching TV and saw the Emeril show and it spoke to me.” He decided to move to New York to attend culinary school, which he said “fit like a glove”. He went on to rise through the ranks, but 10 years later in 2008, when he was 38, his life plan took another unexpected hit.

He was hired by a top new LA restaurant as part of their launch team, but was fired shortly before it opened its doors. With a family to support, he started to apply for jobs but panicked when he was rejected time after time. Even when going for positions way below his experience level, he had no luck – and had no idea what to do.

Speaking to Inc in 2016, he said: “I was so scared, man. I had a family. I didn’t know what I was to do.” But then a call from an old friend changed his life forever – again. Mark Manguera, who Roy worked with at the Beverly Hilton, had the idea to sell Korean tacos from a van outside clubs.

Roy admits he wasn’t sure about the idea, so went home to sleep on it. But he woke up in the middle of the night convinced it was the right thing today – so called Mark to say he was in. It was a hit from the start, but they quickly realised a problem with their plan. Their customers had normally had a few drinks, so didn’t remember what they’d eaten.

Their unexpected break came in the unlikely form of a group of students from UCLA who asked if they would park up near their campus. They agreed and the students promised to spread the word. When the duo arrived, they claim there were about 600 people there, who quickly took to Twitter to spread the word – kickstarting the food truck’s massive social media following.

Since then, their business has grown and grown, and the brand now has several restaurants as well as the fleet of trucks. With Love, Meghan is part of the multimillion dollar deal Prince Harry and Meghan secured with Netflix after stepping back from their royal roles in 2020.

The couple have already had a fly on the wall docuseries – Harry & Meghan – in which they shared their stories of life within the royal family. They’ve also worked on a number of documentaries on issues that are close to their hearts, including one on Harry’s Invictus Games.