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Meet 17 Next-gen Asian chefs and culinary heirs reinventing legacy restaurants
2. Yasuhiro Hayashi (Hong Kong)
Heichinrou originally opened in Yokohama, Japan in 1884 and gained acclaim for serving Chinese cuisine tailored to Japanese tastes. In 1988, Rokusaburo Hayashi—Yasuhiro Hayashi's father—launched Heichinrou Hong Kong to bring authentic Cantonese cuisine back to its cultural heart, with the meticulous standards of Japanese service.
After training under both Japanese and Cantonese culinary masters, the younger Hayashi took the reins in the 2000s. He updated the menu with modern refinements, while preserving the ceremonial luxury that defined the family brand: think intricately pleated dumplings and double-boiled soups presented with elegant precision. His work bridges heritage with haute presentation, creating a cross-cultural fine dining experience. 3. Rudy Kwan (Malaysia)
The crown prince to a nasi lemak empire, Rudy Kwan is the son of Kwan Swee Lian, the 'Nasi Lemak Queen' who founded Sakura around 1958 and inspired Madam Kwan's, which opened in 1999. Rudy Kwan stepped in when his mother's original restaurant shuttered. Under his leadership, Madam Kwan's expanded across Malaysia and Singapore, standardising signature dishes like beef rendang and nasi lemak, and growing brand appeal via merchandising and casual-dining ambience.
Maintaining its influence over decades, Madam Kwan's now serves over a thousand plates of nasi lemak a day at its peak and has become a multi-million-dollar regional chain.
In case you missed it: The story behind Madam Kwan's 4. Andrew Chui Shek‑on (Hong Kong)
As manager of Tai Ping Koon, a Western-Cantonese institution since it opened in Hong Kong in 1938, Andrew Chui Shek‑on is in charge of a legacy that goes back to its roots in Guanzhou in 1860. Chiu took leadership in the early 2000s under the banner of Dongjiang Restaurants, and has maintained classic menu items, such as the iconic Swiss chicken wings, while introducing weekend brunch sets, glass-roofed interior updates and revived downtown branding. Under his care, the restaurant continues to charm locals and tourists alike in multiple locations throughout Hong Kong.
Don't miss: The oldest restaurants in Asia: where every meal is a taste of living history 5. Jay Fai / Supinya Junsuta (Thailand)
Now more popularly known as Jay Fai, Supinya Junsuta's father owned a noodles-and-congee stall in Bangkok's Old Town. Though she would eventually become one of the city's most globally recogisable culinary stars, Jay Fai initially spurned the family business, opting to work as a seamstress for several years. A fire, however, propelled her back to cooking.
She opened the eponymous Raan Jay Fai (which simply means 'Jay Fai's shop') in the 1980s, first using her parents' recipes, and eventually creating her own dishes. Her Bangkok street-side stall became legendary for wok-fired crab omelettes—and earned Thailand's first Michelin star for street food in 2018. Despite having no formal training, her iconic combination of ladybird goggles, roaring flame and hand-ground spice—has made her stall a cultural landmark and worldwide diner destination. 6. Ng Wai Kwok (Hong Kong)
The third-generation leader of Maxim's Caterers, Ng Wai Kwok joined the business in 1992, at age 21, and has since led its transformation. He launched modern sub-brands, secured deals with Hong Kong Disneyland and scaled the group to over a thousand outlets. His influence extends across Asia's culinary landscape, evolving heritage catering with contemporary F&B trends. 7. Yoshikazu and Takashi Ono (Japan)
Yoshikazu and Takashi Ono are the sons of Jiro Ono of Tokyo icon Sukiyabashi Jiro. Yoshikazu apprenticed under Jiro and, as the eldest, is the designated heir to the original Ginza location, ensuring the restaurant stays locked to Jiro's exacting Edomae standards. His younger brother Takashi launched the Roppongi Hills branch, retaining traditional methods while introducing a slightly more relaxed atmosphere and broader reservation windows—Jiro 2.0 for a younger Tokyo crowd. 8. Micco Goh (Malaysia)
Nam Heong was founded in 1958 in Ipoh and became a local institution for kaya toast, prawn mee and white coffee. As third-generation heirs, Micco Goh and her siblings modernised Nam Heong amid growing operational challenges. They introduced robot servers—playfully named after Asian celebrities—and implemented a digital menu system. These tech-savvy updates streamlined service and sparked renewed interest among younger diners. Today, Nam Heong runs multiple locations across Malaysia, marrying retro flavors with futuristic flair—proof that old-school charm can thrive with high-tech hospitality. 9. Cristina Santiago (Philippines)
Carmelo Santiago transformed the local dining scene in 1987 by opening Melo's Steakhouse, the first in the Philippines to serve US Certified Angus Beef and later Japanese Wagyu, setting the bar high for Manila's steak scene. Decades later, his daugther, Cristina Santiago opened Carmelo's Steakhouse in Greenbelt as a modern tribute to her father's vision.
Since its relaunch, Carmelo's has earned a reputation for marrying nostalgia with modern refinement. Her Beef Steak Tagalog—a home recipe—quickly made it from 'secret favorite' to full menu staple, and guests often praise the cozy, gold-accented interiors inspired by her father's music room.
In case you missed it: Carmelo's Steakhouse: A legacy of steak supremacy 10. Yoshihiro Murata (Japan)
As the third-generation owner of Kikunoi, a Kyoto ryōtei founded in 1912, Murata assumed full creative control in 1993. A Michelin three-starred power, he revamped the restaurant's signature dashi stock, experimented with sourcing (importing seaweed from Alaska), and added dozens of seasonal plates to the rigid kaiseki format. He also opened Roan Kikunoi (tea-ceremony based) and Akasaka Kikunoi in Tokyo, carrying the legacy into modern micro-concept kitchens—all while writing books and mentoring global chefs. 11. Mastura Binte Didih Ibrahim (Singapore)
Founded in 1992 by Mastura Binte Didih Ibrahim's parents and named after her grandmother, Hjh Maimunah became a cornerstone for nasi padang in Kampong Gelam, serving beef rendang, sambal goreng and other beloved staples from family recipes.
When Mastura took over in 2018, she streamlined operations with a centralised kitchen, expanded into food courts and launched a frozen line. These moves helped future-proof the business through the pandemic. With seven outlets and consistent critical recognition, Hjh Maimunah has earned a broad audience while staying true to its kampung roots. 12. Sandy Daza (Philippines)
Son of legendary chef and author Nora Daza, Sandy Daza was the host of the cooking show Cooking with Sandy from 2002 to 2010, which he filmed from Canada. He returned to Manila in 2011 to open the FIlipino-food restaurant Wooden Spoon, which was met with popular and critical acclaim. Despite an ownership split in 2017, he rebounded in 2020 with Casa Daza, which pivoted during COVID to kiosk-only 'Casa Daza specials' that featured empanada and siopao. Today, the revived Casa Daza has 16 locations, and the chef also hosts several travel-culinary series.
Don't miss: Where to order empanadas and meat pies in Metro Manila 13. Mei Lin (USA and China)
Born in Guangzhou and raised in Michigan, Mei Lin grew up in her family's Chinese restaurant. After honing her skills at LA's Spago and Ink, she gained national attention by winning Top Chef: Boston in 2014. Her debut restaurant, Nightshade (2019), showcased modern Chinese cuisine—sea cucumber dumplings and Szechuan peppercorn chicken delivered with precision and flair.
In 2020, she launched Daybird, the first Szechuan hot fried chicken concept in the US. Both brands fuse personal heritage with cutting-edge technique—earning Lin critical acclaim and a loyal following. 14. Ming Tsai (USA and China)
A pioneer of East-meets-West cuisine, Ming Tsai has influenced numerous chefs and restaurateurs, including the aforementioned Mei Lin. The son of the owners of Mandarin Kitchen, a traditional Chinese restaurant, Ming Tsai enrolled in elite stints in Paris (mentored by Pierre Hermé) and Osaka (apprenticed with Sushi master Kobayashi).
In 1993, he launched Blue Ginger in Massachusetts, integrating Chinese flavours with French technique, followed by the casual Blue Dragon in Boston. He then pivoted to plant-based with MingsBings, spinning classic bing into veggie-driven street snacks. Tsai is most famous for hosting the shows East Meets West and Simply Ming, helping mainstream America discover nuanced fusion long before its widescreen vogue. He also appeared numerous times on the Iron Chef franchise. 15. Kathy Fang (USA and China)
Kathy Fang grew up busing and serving while learning from the open kitchen. She is, after all, the daughter of Peter and Lily Fang, who emigrated from Shanghai in 1980 and founded House of Nanking in SF's Chinatown in 1988. Kathy earned a USC business degree and worked in corporate before reassuming her family legacy.
In 2009, she co-founded the eponymous Fang, a modern offshoot that combines her father's Shanghainese recipes (like the signature sesame chicken with sweet potato) and her own global aesthetic and plating sensibility. She later launched Chef Dynasty: House of Fang on Food Network, documenting the generational push-pull and her efforts to build an empire beyond Chinatown. House of Nanking remains a SF staple, and Fang has expanded the brand through catering, merch and kitchen-heavy media. 16. Chris Cho (USA / Korea)
Chris Cho is the second-generation chef at Seorabol Center City in Philadelphia, which was founded by his parents in 1983. Cho elevated the restaurant during the pandemic by showcasing bite-sized Korean dishes on TikTok and YouTube. His viral recipes—galbi, kimchi pancakes—built a massive social footprint while keeping the restaurant afloat. Now, Seorabol sees a younger, mixed demographic, drawn by Cho's upbeat media presence and authenticity. It's Korean home cooking with a digital-age twist: traditional bullet points, snackable video reels.
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