Weekly Welcome

Peter Tondreau is a 10-year restaurant vet who has successfully made his imprint in NYC operating concepts within food halls and markets. The Korean-adoptee grew up in California, actively engaged in sports. Eventually, his passion and interest lead to a pursuit in career in professional ice hockey. An unfortunate accident soon derailed his pursuit; however, his lifelong love for food and cooking opened a new chapter into the culinary arts. Peter found himself full circle back in California, cooking at then 2-Michelin starred Wolfgang Puck's legendary Spago in Beverly Hills. A best friend's invite to a New Years' Party in NYC was enough to attract Peter to relocating to the East Coast, where he opened up his very first concept Bar Suzette with the same friend that had convinced the move. A successful run at Bar Suzette has since then birthed numerous and various concepts for Peter who runs with a collaborative philosophy in running restaurants. 

Sarah Lee is the Co-Owner of Kimbap Lab, located in Whole Foods Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Kimbap Lab features its namesake kimbap, a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients rolled in kim, or otherwise known as dried nori seaweed. Sarah takes this traditional dish and applies a modern approach featuring a gluten-free menu and locally sourced ingredients. Sarah’s experiences range from catering to managing restaurants to marketing a Korean celebrity chef. She ultimately brought her favorite Korean comfort food, kimbap, stateside with a spin offering sauces and pickles. 

Erika Chou is a Managing Partner of Rivers and Hills Hospitality Group, which owns and operates multiple restaurant concepts such as Yunnan Kitchen, Northern Tiger, Kodawari, Wayla, and Little Wayla. Growing up in North Carolina, Erika found herself in various unfortunate scenarios where she was made insecure about her Asian-American identity and culture. So much so that even her school teacher had made a comment about her Chinese-cooked lunches she would bring from home. A mid-career change from fashion production to restaurant creation has brought Erika much success in the field having had experience in both full-service and fast-casual restaurants. We talk about her journey but also how she is adapting to the new landscape with Phase 2 in NYC underway.

Dennis Ngo is the Chef and Co-Owner of Di An Di, a modern Vietnamese restaurant that's quickly become a neighborhood staple in Greenpoint, Brooklyn since opening in May 2018. Dennis is a second generation Vietnamese-American and Texan-native who found himself in New York via a consulting career and fell in love with the restaurant scene. In the early 2000's, Vietnamese cuisine was still relatively unknown. Dennis saw an opportunity to join this movement and decided to take upon a role as a dishwasher to get his feet wet. Fast forward to now, after a successful opening with Di An Di; Dennis shares his creative initiatives and outlook on an industry that he's come to love and what it may look like during these times with COVID-19.

Brooklyn born and bred, Calvin Eng is the Chef de Cuisine at Win Son. Win Son is a Taiwanese-American restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Calvin's first encounter with food occurred in the family kitchen and soon working at a neighborhood deli. An abundance of Chinese cooking at home led to an initial disinterest drift from his Cantonese heritage, only to arrive at a newfound appreciation for his heritage and culture. We share Calvin's insights and experiences leading up to his current position via his time in culinary school at Johnson & Wales, being one of the first Sous Chef hires at fast-casual chain Dig Inn, and opening up a quick-service outpost of a legendary dim sum parlor, Nom Wah Nolita with Wilson Tang. 

Everyone has a part to play in the current Black Lives Matter movement. We stand in solidarity and wanted to share what we're doing to make actionable steps forward in the right direction and commit to bettering our community. 

Steve Wong is a Partner and the Director of Operations for Oxalis, an affordable, accessible, and approachable neighborhood bistro with a Michelin star just steps away from Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park. Steve's childhood in the Bay Area involved early opening shifts at coffee shops, light Forbes article reading, and eventually a career in the world of worker cooperatives. However, hospitality always played a part for Steve, and not long after, he reunited with his high school friend, Chef Nico Russell (Daniel, Mirazur) and beverage director Piper Kristensen (Booker and Dax) to run Oxalis as a successful pop-up, selling out 50 events in a span of two years. It now faces a new challenge ahead in response to COVID-19 in the form of a pantry box, appropriately named 'Boxalis.' 

Jae Lee isn't shy to let you know where he's from, where he's been, and who he represents. Jae Lee is Chef-Owner of Nowon, serving nontraditional Korean fare in the East Village. Formerly, he worked for heavyweight chefs such as Masaharu Morimoto and Dale Talde. From a ramen line cook in his college days to picking up the late Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential to opening Executive Chef at Momosan, Jae’s journey is cemented in hustle and hard work. Eventually, he struck out on his own via his pop-up concept Him, which featured a kimchi burger that spawned a media frenzy. In an unusual and unprecedented manner in a notoriously slow-to-open industry, Jae opened the doors to Nowon in a matter of simply two months from signing the lease.

Welcome back! In our first ever Off Menu supplement, we share exciting news in welcoming back our podcast. The restaurant world has changed a lot since the showcase of the first 18 episodes. We are now welcoming the change and bracing for the new realities of restaurants. We'll continue sharing the stories of the resilient chefs and restaurateurs that shape the neighborhoods and cities in which they operate. 

Not many Chefs in the restaurant industry can claim to have been a competitive poker player, work retail at Louis Vuitton, and start an English school in China. Simone Tong is a force of nature and someone with a track record that just makes it happen. A few fateful encounters translating English for her mom's restaurant and an episode of After Hours with Daniel Boulud piqued a curiosity for the culinary arts. Now, she is the Chef and Co-Owner of Little Tong, a noodle shop inspired by the province of Yunnan. Now open in 3 locations across Manhattan, NY.