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 recently opened 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.
Thai Dang, Chef Partner, Crying Tiger
Lettuce Chef Partner Thai Dang’s love letter to Southeast Asian cuisine Crying Tiger sprang onto the River North dining scene last fall and quickly became one of the city’s most in-demand reservations, landing at #9 on Chicago Magazine‘s 13 Best New Restaurants list. Dang, a James Beard Award 2025 Finalist and 2026 Semifinalist (Best Chef: Great Lakes Region for HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen), was born in Vietnam and raised in Virginia, drew inspiration from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and beyond for Crying Tiger, which he showcases in bold signatures such as Wagyu Beef Nam Tok, Prawn Toast, Rolled Rice Noodles, and Clay Pot Lobster Pad Thai that hit all of the region’s tasting notes—sweet, sour, salty and spicy.
Make a reservation at Crying Tiger | Order carryout and delivery from Crying Tiger
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 four locations, including the recently opened Nashville, Tennessee outpost, Chef Kaze takes sushi to the next level, serving up made-to-order nigiri, sashimi, maki and hand rolls, grilled dishes such as Vietnamese Pork, and more.
Make a reservation at The Omakase Room at Sushi-san | Make a reservation or order carryout and delivery from the Sushi-san location nearest you
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 (like his personal recipe for Japanese Fried Chicken) of the elegant all-day modern Japanese restaurant.
Make a reservation at Miru at The St. Regis Chicago | Order carryout and delivery from Miru at The St. Regis Chicago
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 AAPI-inspired ones such as Ramen-san, Sushi-san, Three Dots and a Dash, and The Omakase Room at Sushi-san. He calls Crying Tiger, which he spearheaded alongside Chef Partner Thai Dang, an homage to their shared Southeast Asian heritage.
Make a reservation at Crying Tiger | Make a reservation at Ramen-san | Make a reservation at Sushi-san | Make a reservation at The Omakase Room at Sushi-san | Make a reservation at Three Dots and a Dash
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.
Make a reservation at Miru at The St. Regis Chicago | Order carryout and delivery from Miru at The St. Regis Chicago
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,” such as the NA Sage Advice. 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.
Make a reservation at Miru at The St. Regis Chicago | Order carryout and delivery from Miru at The St. Regis Chicago
