Chris Yeo
STRAITS

Not many restaurateurs get their start as a hairdresser, but interestingly enough, Chris Yeo, Straits Restaurants and SINO Restaurant & Lounge's executive chef and owner, was originally more familiar with chopping hair than shredding coconut. And if he had not given up the shears for making satays, the Bay Area wouldn't have himto thank for being the first to bring authentic yet modern Singaporean cuisine to their dining landscape; and now with SINO, for infusing the San Jose area with a new concept in Chinese cuisine.

After graduating from Singapore's Hotel and Catering School and a two year stint at the world-renowned Mandarin Hotel, Yeo left Singapore for London so he could study hair at Vidal Sassoon. After working as a hair stylist in London for five years, he came to San Francisco and opened Yeo's Hair Design in1980 in the Haight Ashbury district.

Yeo, 54, has always been a lover of good food, and long dreamed of bringing the foodof his native Singaporeto the Bay Area. He says, “I missed sharing the food of my youth. I enjoyed cooking at home, but couldn't fit all my friends and family and clients into my house—with a restaurant, I could!” In 1987, he opened Straits Café on Geary Street in San Francisco, and then a sleek Palo Alto location in 1998. It was with the opening of the second Straits location that he made the decision to focus on his restaurants full-time, and much to the chagrin of his salon clients, stop cutting hair. In 2003 he opened an even more upscale version of Straits on Santana Row, a noted shopping and dining destination in San Jose, California, and then another in Burlingame, California, one year later. The original San Francisco location temporarily closed, then re-opened in the Westfield San Francisco Centre on September 28, 2006.

Visitors to his Straits restaurants are taken with Yeo's dishes that integrate the bright flavors and cooking styles of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Nonya (a result of the marriages between Chinese men and Malay women generations ago, and considered the true native style of cooking) cuisines. Healso utilizes exotic spices, fresh herbs, and the freshest ingredients he can find, whether it's for the daily soup or his “poh pia” spring rolls.

In September 2005, Yeo decided to open another restaurant in the Santana Row area, this time SINO Restaurant & Lounge, a spacious and urban-feeling venue that was designed to showcase a new concept in Chinese cuisine. He says, “I wanted to build a Chinese restaurant that was elegant, sophisticated, and accessible to all.” The dramatic space matches the exotic menu of updated “New Experience”Chinese classics like dim sum, Peking duck, and smoked sea bass.

Yeo is known for being as generous as he is energetic—(it's been said he has the stamina of three people). He is involved in many organizations in the Bay Area, both professional and not-for-profit. He is one of founders of the ACA (Asian Chefs Association), a professional organization designed to unify Asian chefsin the area and hosts various charity events (the ACA made a huge effort whenthe tsunami tragedy struck).

Yeo is also co-author with Joyce Jue of the cookbook, Cooking of Singapore and has served as a guest chef at The Smithsonian Institute, the James Beard House, and the Singaporean embassies tothe United Statesand the United Nations, among others. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Kelly and their two sons, Julian and Andrew.

http://www.straitsrestaurants.com/

Robert Lam calls what he does "Asian within Asian," pulling from Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean traditions. He traces his devotion to true flavors to his mother, who opened a Vietnamese restaurant, Vien Dong, in Garden Grove outside Los Angeles when the family landed in Southern California after the fall of Saigon. He was only 4 at the time, but the restaurant figured hugely in his childhood. It drew Vietnamese expats and funded Lam's, and his five siblings', education. His parents, professionals in their homeland, had to create life from scratch,without English, with six children and an extended family. But although the whole Lam family was involved in the restaurant, his parents did not envision,or even want, any of their children to continue the business.

Lam's father became the first Vietnamese to hold office in the United States when he won a seat on the city council of Westminster(Orange County). His brothers and sisters became"dentists, marine biologist, engineers - and me, I went into the restaurant business, not exactly what was expected," he says, chuckling.

He wanted to cook, but his parents said no. So Lam was sent to the University of San Francisco, where he majored in American history. "I tried to flunk out so I could go to culinary school," he reports, but his parents cut him a deal: If he would finish college, they would send him to culinary school.

Finishing college, he now admits, was the right thing to do. But he headed straight for New York and the Culinary Institute ofAmerica as soon as he could. Moving back to the West Coast after graduation, he cooked to high praise at Brannan's Grill in Calistoga. When Butterfly came up for sale, Lam decided to "swim in the big pond," and bought it. The dream that was stoked in his mother's kitchen, the skills he learned there, its hibernation while he was in college, the hunger he found at culinary school andthe streak of rebellion that informed it all have found wings at Butterfly.

Yet everything still harks back to his upbringing. "Someday," he says, "I'm going to reopen my mother'srestaurant here."

http://www.butterflysf.com/

Tim Luym
POLENG LOUNGE

The fusion of opposites comes together at Poleng Lounge in executive chef/owner Tim Luym's cultural reflection on Asian cuisine. Luym, a San Francisco Chronicle award winning 3-star chef, adds a contemporary twist to timeless Asian dishes bred bystreet vendors, hawkers, and the native peoples without losing sight of thecultural identity.

“Iadmire the way Luym follows his instincts, preparing dishes that are creativebut retain the spirit of the food's culture. There's not one dish on thesmall-plates menu I wouldn't order again. Several are so good I was tempted tobreak my own rule and order a double portion....” – Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle

After obtaining a degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Luym's passion for cooking led him to work with acclaimed chef Melissa Perelloat Charles Nob Hill and Fifth Floor. At Poleng, Luym returns to his cultural roots. Using authentic Asian recipes and the freshest ingredients available in the Bay Area, Luym preserves cultural integrity in each dish. “Our food is not a fusion of cultural influences embodied thru food, but rather an explorationof Asian roots and reflection on culture, lifestyle and available natural resources.”

http://www.polenglounge.com/

Throughout her childhood split between India and the United States, Shachi Mehra found aconstant in her love of cooking and the joy it brought to those around her. Growing up, she often played taste-tester for her parents, both of whom were exceptional cooks.  Her passion for food, however, did notinitially translate into a career choice.

While attending the Universityof Texas, Austinand Rutgers University, Mehra focused her course workon the sciences, intending to pursue a career in medicine.

Everything changed after a fortuitous meeting with Chef Bruce Johnson.   Johnson, named one of New Jersey's premier chefs by the New York Times, invited her to spend a day prepping in his Trap Rock Brewery for fun. She had never stepped foot in a restaurant kitchen.  After only a couple of hours, Mehra had found her life's passion. “I knew immediately that this was what I was meant to do. I had never felt that way,” Mehra says. Johnson offered her a job on the spot, and she went on to work in pastry and garde manger for more than a year.

Months later, Mehra had the good fortune to meet Floyd Cardoz, executive chef of New York's legendary Tabla, at a local culinary event. Cardoz agreed to an informational interview and shortly thereafter, he offered Mehra a job. She jumped at the chance to work at an acclaimed New York restaurant. Mehra worked her way through the ranks to become head line cook and manage Tabla's Bread Barkitchen.

Based on his belief that Mehra “had it,” Cardoz introduced the young chef to Junnoon's owner, Sabena Puri in 2005. At Junnoon, Mehra is part of the creative force that shapes one of the most innovative Indian menus in California.She credits the eight-month culinary journey through India, Japanand Austrailia, which she took early on in her career, for many of the ideas that continually inspire her creations. Mehra is proud to work at an establishment that selects high-quality ingredients and is changing theAmerican perception of Indian cuisine.

http://www.junnoon.com/

Armed with eight US dollars and a Masters in English literature, Maharani Executive Chef/Owner J. Kapur came to America in 1967 with truly little more than the shirt on his back. While studying for his MBA at San Francisco's Golden Gate University, Kapur worked evenings as a busboy and soon became enraptured with the vibrancy of the restaurant industry. In 1971, Kapur was able to actualize his dream and build a small, yet charming restaurant in North Beach called Taj Mahal.

Little did he realize at the time that as the first Indian to open an Indian restaurant in California, he would set a culinary and cultural standard that continues to ripple around California and beyond. His unique talents as a published poet and skilled artisan have made the crown jewel of his eleven restaurant dynasty, Maharani San Francisco, catch the eye of consumers and critics alike since its inception in 1989.

http://www.maharanirestaurant.com/

Born in Indonesia, Daniel Sudar developed his passion for cooking as a child helping his motherwith her bustling catering business. He knew early on that he was destined to be a chef. To that end, he attended culinary school in Indonesia and also at the California Culinary Academy.

Sudar was previously chef de cuisine at San Francisco's popular Betelnut restaurant,where a career highlight was cooking for former President Bill Clinton. Sudar has also cooked alongside Gary Danko at San Francisco's Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, and with George Morrone at One Market Restaurant.

Sudar aims to educate guests on the nuances and varied flavors of
authentic Southeast Asian cuisine, and his menu features foods from Indonesia, Malaysia,the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam,Thailand and other countries in the region. To achieve the complex, layered flavors of this cuisine, Sudar crafts each dish from scratch, starting with unique ingredients true to their country of origin. The restaurant also maintains a rooftop garden where they grow some specialty itemsintegral to the menu.

http://www.redlanternrwc.com/

Chef Hung Le seamlessly oversees the busy kitchens of his Three Seasons Restaurants and I Tapas & Wine Bar located throughout the Bay Area San Francisco and Palo Alto ) with ease and focus. While he's received accolades from the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and professional foodies, he prides his cuisine in being able to appeal to the masses and his loyal fans in Zagat.

Chef Hung Le first learned about the need for a pure, organic approach to food preparation when, as a child, he witnessed his mother and grand mother artfully prepare the family dinner in his native Vietnam. Hung would watch in awe as both women handpicked fresh vegetables and herbs and carefully inspected grains of rice to ensure their quality. But despite his fascination and respect for the culinary world, he never considered a career in food until after working as an entrepreneur, he realized that he spent all his free time in the kitchen, experimenting with innovative approaches to traditional Asian cuisines. Despite his lack for formal training, but armed with an unshakable passion for cooking, Hung's first foray into the culinary world was an instant success with both critics and the public at large when he opened his first restaurant in San Francisco.   

http://www.threeseasonsrestaurant.com/