Featured Chefs

CHEF RACHEL YANG
Entrée & Dessert

Rachel Yang, a 2017 James Beard Award nominee for the Best Northwest chef, is known for her singular culinary vision that artfully blends a love of bold, unexpected flavors with classic technique. Her food defies expectation and simple definition, and has earned her a reputation as an innovator and creative force. Yang's food is beloved by seasoned, adventurous diners and often considered a revelation by newcomers eager to expand their palates. Her cuisine is informed equally by her personal history as a Korean native as well as her kitchen experience at restaurants Per Se, Essex House, and DB Bistro Moderne. Along with her co-chef and husband, Seif Chirchi, Yang owns three Seattle restaurants: Joule, a contemporary Korean steakhouse that was named one of 2013’s Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appetite Magazine, and Revel, a lively, casual space for street food-style comfort food. Trove, one of 2015 GQ’s 25 best new restaurants, features noodle bar, Korean bbq, and parfait window. Now Portland is the new home for her latest and most exciting restaurant, Revelry, opened in August 2016.

CHEF DAVID KONG
Passed Appetizer

David was born in Malaysia of Chinese ancestry, but came to the United States as a youth. He began his cooking career in the San Francisco Bay Area flipping hamburgers in Berkeley. After that he continued cooking at Gulliver’s Steakhouse near San Francisco. He later developed his artistry and love of Italian cuisine and culture under the tutelage of Renzo Maravilla, who owned La Locanda in Burlingame staying in this Italian-inspired environment for seven years. After Maravilla's retirement, David moved to Seattle in 1990 and opened Perché No in 1992 with his wife, Lily Kong. Their warm hospitality and authentic Italian cuisine made Perché No the success that it is and they’re currently celebrating its 25th year.

CHEF JINHO HAN
Starter

Originally from South Korea, Jinho fell in love with cooking while on a working holiday in Australia. When he returned back to Korea, he changed his major from computer science to the culinary arts and hasn’t looked back since. While in Seoul he worked under the guidance of Chef Edward Kwon at Lab XIV and The Mixed One before moving stateside. He is currently a chef at Seven Beef and Ba Bar University Village, where he focuses on combining Asian herbs and flavors with local, seasonal ingredients.