Asian/Asian American Chefs

[cabrales]

Leslie -- I'd appreciate your thoughts on the inclusion, at Daniel or other French or French-style restaurants in NY or LA, of chefs of Asian or Asian American background in the kitchen teams. Did you detect issues that Asian American chefs (particularly those who were lower down in the kitchen hierarchy) had to address that their Caucasian counterparts might not? (Please separately address Asian Americans from, for example, temporary traineees from Japan who did not intend to remain in the US.)

Alex Lee, Boulud's Executive Chef at Daniel, is described in your book as being Chinese-American, and as being known among Daniel alumni as being an impressive teacher, among other things. Did you learn about how Lee developed, from the time when he began working with Boulud at Le Cirque in 1989?

Note that Boulud also helped recruit Sottha Khunn to Le Cirque. Khunn is of Cambodian background. While (i) Khunn had immense experience in France prior to arriving in the US, (ii) Boulud is not necesarily the chef with the greatest influence on Khunn's development (??) and (iiii) Sylvian Portay succeeded Boulud directly at Le Cirque, Boulud was nonetheless quite influential with respect to Khunn's cuisine.

How did Asian American, Latino American, African American, Native American and other chefs of racial minority groups fit into Boulud's goal of "keep[ing] a balance in the ratio of French to American chefs in the kitchen"? Also, your book mentions that Boulud was not "entirely comfortable" with the apparent tipping of the balance towards American chefs. Why might that discomfort have been experienced?

Finally, what are your views on other Asian American chefs in NY restaurants, such as Patricia Yeo (AZ) and Anita Lo (Annisa)? What was the representation of women among the cuisinier ranks at Boulud like?

[Leslie Brenner]

There were quite a number of Asian-American cooks at Daniel the year I was there, at all levels of kitchen hierarchy, though it never occurred to me to count them. And I don't remember seeing anyone visiting from Japan in order to train. I was not aware of any particular "issues" that affected Asian-Americans there.

As for Alex Lee, I did not learn many specifics about how he developed during his tenure with Daniel Boulud over the years. I did learn about how his background as a Chinese-American influenced his cooking and choice of a career. Eating and cooking with his Chinese grandmother in San Francisco affected him tremendously, particularly attending banquets with her.

In terms of the "balance" in the kitchen, the racial mixture among Americans in the kitchen was not particularly balanced. As I mention, there were quite a few Asian-Americans. I only remember one African American cook--Corey, whose story I delved into a bit in the book. I'm racking my brain trying to remember Latino line cooks, and I'm coming up empty, which doesn't necessarily mean they weren't there, but certainly they weren't a strong presence. Latinos tended to have lower positions in the kitchen, such as dishwashers, prep cooks, etc. Lupe, the fantastic Mexican-American butcher, really impressed me with his skills. I don't remember seeing any Native Americans in the kitchen. As for Boulud's discomfort when the balance tipped toward too many Americans in relation to French cooks, I think he would have been equally uncomfortable if there were too many French--he was seeking a real balance. Women tended to be represented more heavily in the pastry department than in the kitchen, where at any given time there might have been two or three women.

I'm not sure what you mean by my views on Asian-American women chefs in New York--do you mean in general or particular chefs? I personally wouldn't make any generalizations about chefs of particular racial backgrounds or sexes except for the following (which I'm sure will elicit some outraged responses): women chefs tend to make food that is less flashy visually, and often less tall preparations, than men. That's a rash generalization, and there are certainly plenty of exceptions, but I think it tends to be the case. I admire Patricia Yeo quite a bit, and I haven't yet eaten at Anita Lo's restaurant.

[cabrales]

I'm not sure what you mean by my views on Asian-American women chefs in New York--do you mean in general or particular chefs?  . . . I admire Patricia Yeo quite a bit, and I haven't yet eaten at Anita Lo's restaurant.

Leslie -- Apologies for the inaccurate framing of my inquiry about Asian-American women chefs in NY. First, I'd appreciate knowing whether there are Asian American women chefs in NY whom you admire or have heard positive word-of-mouth about, apart from P Yeo and A Lo? Second, could you further discuss what you like about P Yeo's cuisine? (Note I have not yet sampled it)

[Leslie Brenner]

To my knowledge, I haven't eaten at any other NYC with Asian-American women chefs beside AZ. I admire Patricia Yeo's cooking for its clean, harmonic flavors, solid technique, and her understanding of how to bring disparate elements of a dish together in a way that works well. She's also a good restaurateur--the restaurant is beautiful and the service attentive and highly professional. I have felt soigné there even when I was there as an ordinary Joe, under someone else's name. Last time I lunched there, they were out of a tea I had asked about, and she sent me some of her personal stash of a Chinese green. She had no idea who I was, and I was not eating with anyone known to her.