i. Biography
The Climb
Restaurant technique came after an academic and technical start: Bryant Ng trained at UCLA, then worked as a consultant at biotech and pharmaceutical companies before moving onto kitchen staff at La Folie in San Francisco, Campanile in Los Angeles, Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, and Restaurant Daniel in New York City. That range put fine-dining discipline, Los Angeles cooking, pizza craft, and New York service standards into the same working foundation. Back in Los Angeles, the chef-and-owner role at The Spice Table in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles (until 2013), gave that training a more defined restaurant language. The Santa Monica decade at Cassia (2015–2025), where Bryant was chef and partner, set that language inside a larger Los Angeles dining conversation. The current work is ownership: Bryant is owner of Jade Rabbit (since 2025).
Now
Chinese American cuisine is the stated frame at Jade Rabbit, with an opening menu that included orange mango chicken, chow mein, and garlic chile shrimp. The service model is built for clarity and repetition: Jade Rabbit planned standard combo meals with two side dishes, two vegetables, and a main course, or two mains for a large combo. The cultural position is equally direct: "Just as Italian Americans celebrate Italian American food, we take pride in Chinese American food as its own regional Chinese cuisine [that] bridges two culinary cultures."
Accolades
Trade recognition arrived with Best New Chef (2012), placing Bryant Ng’s work in the national peer set for that year.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Bryant
Where did Bryant Ng train or study?
Bryant Ng trained at UCLA.
What recognition has Bryant Ng received?
Best New Chef (2012).
