Full Interview

What is your connection to Kikkoman?
I grew up on Kikkoman. It was such a standard in my house that we just called it Kikkoman – not soy sauce. It has a great balance and layering of flavors that makes it easy to use.


What are some ways you use Kikkoman products to develop flavors or amplify a dish’s natural flavors on your menu?
Kikkoman Soy Sauce works as a dipping sauce when you simmer it with sugar and other flavors, like chile or ginger. It can be a salad dressing ingredient, a marinade or a stir-fry sauce. It works both as is, or in cooking.


What are some ingredients and flavors that make Vietnamese cuisine distinct and delicious?
Vietnamese food uses so many uncooked greens and raw vegetables. Every dish is a salad, but also you can cook the greens on top of hot pho or grilled meat. It’s a very fresh and balanced approach to food. Fish sauce is also a strong part of the cuisine, and for people who don’t want or like fish sauce, Kikkoman Soy Sauce is a great replacement.


You use a lot of bold, peppery greens. Describe what you like about these ingredients and how you flavor them.
Herbs are my favorite ingredients. I love Vietnamese mint or coriander, Thai basil, which has a slightly bittersweet flavor, and betel leaf. This is an aromatic, spade-shaped leaf that is typically used for wrapping beef for grilling, which adds a smoky-sweet, savory flavor to the meat. I’ve seen this herb used raw, but I prefer it for grilling.


Pickled vegetables also play a prominent role on your menu. How do you make them?
I do a lot of quick-pickling, which is a basic recipe of vinegar, salt and sugar. I like to add Szechuan pepper, chiles, garlic and ginger to bring in some other flavors.


It’s still unusual to see Asian flavors and influences in a breakfast and brunch menu. Tell me how you developed your brunch menu and what the menu brings to your customers.
Brunch has been the most fun to develop. We are in a Park Slope, Brooklyn neighborhood that loves brunch, and we wanted to appeal to this crowd with familiar brunch foods – plenty of eggs and bacon – but with some Asian twists. We make it accessible in the way we name and describe the dishes. For instance, our Breakfast Banh Mi has bacon, scrambled eggs, pickled carrot and daikon, jalapeno and cilantro.


What are some best-sellers at brunch?
The soy-braised pork belly hash, which starts with a recipe for braised pork belly that my dad made for special family occasions. It’s a traditional recipe flavored with pickled vegetables, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, preserved lemons and fermented red bean curd, among other ingredients. It’s loaded with umami and every family has its own flavors and ratios to make it their own. In my family, there was always a competition to decide whose was best. It is so rich that we ate just a slice of it with rice. For brunch, we replace the rice with potatoes, top it with an egg and cut the richness with fresh arugula.


What is your inspiration/process for creating new dishes?
I want to continue to learn and keep asking my parents for advice and translating family recipes to make them my own. I also like to learn from fellow chefs and hear more about how different cultures learn and share through food. The way people eat is the way they share knowledge and interact with their worlds.


Describe your culinary style in 5-10 words.
Asian, simple and from the heart.