Lettuce Life: Celebrating Our AAPI Leaders
Meet our diverse Asian American & Pacific Islander talent
With beloved restaurants such as Sushi-san, Ramen-san, Miru, Big Bowl, Tokio Pub, and the forthcoming Crying Tiger, Lettuce Entertain You has long celebrated the vibrant and wide-ranging cuisine of Asia and the Pacific. This May, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re highlighting some of Lettuce’s talented AAPI leaders, who each day bring diverse dining experiences, flavors, traditions and inspiration from their native cultures to some of your favorite Lettuce restaurants.
Chefs of The Omakase Room at Sushi-san
Every Wednesday through Sunday, Master Sushi Chef and Partner Kaze Chan, Master Sushi Chef Shigeru Kitano and Chef de Cuisine Michael Graffeo present an exquisite 18-course omakase meal at The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, an intimate, 10-seat experience showcasing exclusive, seasonal and luxury ingredients. Kaze-san and his team employ traditional techniques that they’ve each honed through extensive careers in some of the most illustrious restaurants in Asia and the U.S. At Sushi-san‘s three locations (and a fourth coming soon to Nashville, TN), Chef Kaze takes sushi to the next level, serving up made-to-order nigiri, sashimi, maki and hand rolls, grilled dishes, and more.
Get Chef Kaze’s Vietnamese Pork recipe from Sushi-san.
Thai Dang, Chef Partner, Crying Tiger
Lettuce Chef Partner Thai Dang is hard at work as we speak developing the menu for Crying Tiger, an homage to Southeast Asia slated to soon join Lettuce’s River North restaurant portfolio. Dang, a James Beard Award 2025 Finalist (Best Chef: Great Lakes Region for HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen) who was born in Vietnam and raised in Virginia, is drawing inspiration from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and beyond for Crying Tiger, which he says will showcase Southeast Asia’s bold, intricate flavors, including a namesake Crying Tiger Wagyu Beef Salad, and other signatures that hit all of the region’s tasting notes—sweet, sour, salty and spicy. We can’t wait!
Learn more about Chef Thai Dang.
Naoki Nakashima, Executive Chef Partner, Shaw’s Crab House, Tokio Pub & Miru
Born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan, Chef Naoki Nakashima’s interest in the culinary arts began early and his career took him from Japan to Malaysia and Hong Kong, then eventually Chicago, where his mastery of sushi and ability to blend Asian, American and European cuisines in innovative ways quickly captured the attention of Lettuce, which invited him to join Shaw’s Crab House, where he pioneered Shaw’s iconic sushi program. He continues to develop and refine sushi programs and mentor culinary talent across Lettuce restaurants, including Schaumburg’s Tokio Pub and Miru at The St. Regis Chicago.
Get Chef Naoki’s Blood Orange Ceviche recipe.
Learn more about Chef Naoki.
Hisanobu Osaka, Executive Chef Partner, Miru
Lettuce Chef Partner Hisanobu Osaka has had a truly esteemed career, having worked with Chef Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud and Michelin-starred Daniel in New York and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. (While working at Morimoto Waikiki, he even had the honor of cooking dinner for former President Barack Obama and his family.) During his tenure as a corporate chef at Lettuce, Osaka developed menus for a wide range of concepts, from Japanese-Italian and Spanish tapas, to Mediterranean and quick-service Asian, and now leads the culinary team at Miru at The St. Regis Chicago, where he loves adding personal touches to the menu of the elegant all-day modern Japanese restaurant.
Get Chef Osaka’s Japanese Fried Chicken recipe.
Learn more about Chef Osaka.
Amarit Dulyapaibul, Managing Partner, Lettuce Entertain You
Amarit Dulyapaibul started his career in hospitality at an early age at his family’s Thai restaurant in downtown Chicago, rising through the ranks from dishwasher to manager. After earning his Master’s degree in architecture and working in real estate and design, he returned to hospitality when he joined Lettuce, and now oversees operations and development for more than a dozen beloved concepts, including Ramen-san, Sushi-san, Il Porcellino, R.J. Grunts, Three Dots and a Dash, Salon 61, Gus’ Sip & Dip and more. He calls the forthcoming Crying Tiger, which he’s spearheading alongside Chef Partner Thai Dang, an homage to their shared Southeast Asian heritage.
Learn more about Amarit.
Helmy Saadon, Executive Chef, Miru
Before joining Lettuce as Executive Chef at Miru, Helmy Saadon spent two decades traveling the world and honing his love of international cuisine in the kitchens of the world’s finest restaurants in Southeast Asia, Singapore, Australia, London, Moscow, and the Middle East, before making his way to the U.S. A native of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Chef Helmy’s skill in artfully combining different flavors, ingredients and techniques shines through in some of the signature dishes he’s created for Miru, such as the A5 Wagyu Tartare, Diver Scallops, Okonomiyaki and more.
Get Chef Helmy’s Okinomiyaki recipe.
Natcha Gibson, Lead Bartender, Miru
As lead bartender and rising star at Miru at The St. Regis Chicago, Natcha Gibson enjoys celebrating her Asian heritage by creating “exotic and exciting [cocktails] that showcase and elevate Miru’s Japanese cuisine.” A Thai–Chinese native of Bangkok, Thailand, Natcha honed her mixology skills at Lettuce’s iconic tropical cocktail haven Three Dots and a Dash, before joining the opening team of Miru. She’s passionate about global travel and gets inspiration for the Miru menu from exploring the best bars in the world near and far to discover how the industry’s top talent incorporates exotic ingredients to create original drinks.
