While the career pivot worked out extremely well for them, both are still cautious when it comes to advising others who may be inspired to follow suit. “My old head chef, when I said to her I wanted to move into the kitchen, she said, don't do it just because you like to cook. If you love to cook, cook at home,” says Shadbolt. “I think that career changes can feel romantic. The reality of traversing into a whole different career trajectory takes guts and commitment, but it also takes loads of hard work.”

Shi is similarly honest. To anyone who comes to her with a dream to change professional lanes, her advice is always the same: “work on your days off. Put in the graft. If you're not willing to do that and really test if your hobby is what you want to make a career out of, then you shouldn't quit the job that's making you money. Jess and I have never worked as hard as we did opening King. And so you have to really want it.”

Shi is keen to emphasise just how little experience and money they had when they decided to take the leap and open King. “We did a gut renovation with no experience, managed to do it in three months, in New York City, which is unheard of. And then we got to opening day, and that first service was so hard.”

Here, Shadbolt chimes in: “You know, there is also something really brilliant about doing something when you have no idea what you're doing. All we had in our arsenal was tenacity and a willingness to work really hard.”

They also had each other. What was evident from the very start of our conversation was how relaxed and equitable the relationship between Shadbolt and Shi is. 

“I have to say, being in a partnership - back then there were three of us, now there's Annie and I - working together for that long is what makes it possible. It did back then and it does today,” continues Shadbolt.

“I think the spirit of the pub is what everyone is drawn to. It's a very unpretentious, fun place to gather, and I think that kind of third space has fallen by the wayside in the post COVID world, especially in New York,” says Shi

“What’s great is that I can have a British European sensibility about something, but then Annie always sort of places it within a New York context,” says Shadbolt. A key part of that context is the drinks menu, which comes courtesy of Shi’s expertise. “New Yorkers love a pint, but they also then move onto a bottle of wine,” says Shi. “The cocktail scene here is pretty voracious, so we wanted to make sure that they were interesting, and were twists on classics.”

The other, potentially controversial part for pub puritans, of the context is the soundtrack. “I remember Jess saying to me, in pubs, there is no music. The music's just the din of people chattering,” says Shi. “I was like, Jess, it's New York. We have got to have music.” And music they have, with a playlist curated by Shi’s husband that has a theme of “illicit love in the club in the 80s.” It’s a beautiful demonstration of cross-cultural compromise. Even Shadbolt has come round: “Everyone's loving the music! I was thinking we need to release it on Instagram.”

Unconventional music is in keeping with the menu, which is written out by hand everyday. “The Dean’s take on British food is a bit different than what you would find in London. And I think that is the appeal: I think Brits are themselves curious about what British food looks like in 2026,” says Shi. They’ve even had Londoners arrive in New York and immediately head to Dean’s to see for themselves. 

When asked about whether the courage to go out and achieve so many great things, even when you don’t meet all the so-called criteria, has been earned over time or something they were born with, Shadbolt says “personally, I can't stop once I start something.”

Adds Shi, “I think the choice to open more restaurants is now one that we make with a lot of consideration,” before going on to say, “I think risk-taking is definitely part of the DNA.” Well, it’s a risk that has most definitely paid off.