i. Biography
Tommy Lai earned a Michelin star at Laut in Union Square, New York City, in 2011. For a chef working in Malaysian cuisine, that recognition marked a high standard of execution: the kind of cooking that can carry regional flavor into a New York dining room without losing shape, discipline, or intent. After moving to New York with his family in the 1990s after graduating from high school, he brought that work into a new context, translating the flavors of home through daily repetition rather than declaration. At Laut, Lai’s cooking settled into the clarity that comes from long refinement.
Coming Up
Early in his career, Tommy Lai worked as chef at Penang in New York and then as Head Chef at Laut in Union Square, New York (2011–2013). Those posts put his Malaysian cooking under the pressures that define a kitchen: speed, consistency, and the need to keep technique in step with instinct. The period sharpened a style built through accumulation, with each service adding to the next. Today, he is Head Chef and co-owner of Rasa (since 2013), where that progression has taken form in a role that combines command with continuity.
Where They Are Now
Since 2013, he has been Head Chef and co-owner at Rasa in New York City. In that position, Lai’s work reads as steady rather than rhetorical: a kitchen practice grounded in familiarity with Malaysian flavors and the discipline required to present them with consistency.
Signature
Tommy's signature dishes include rendang beef, Penang assam laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Kampung Fried Rice, and Cincaluk. Taken together, they show the range inside his Malaysian cooking: depth in rendang beef, brightness in Penang assam laksa, restraint in Hainanese Chicken Rice, comfort in Kampung Fried Rice, and the sharper edge of Cincaluk. Each dish points to a kitchen that relies on balance as much as intensity.
Honors
Tommy's honors include Michelin star. That distinction, earned at Laut in Union Square, New York City, in 2011, stands as the clearest public measure of the standard Lai set there and the attention his work drew.
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Tommy
What is Tommy Lai's current role?
As of 2026, Tommy Lai is Head Chef and Co-owner of Rasa.
Where did Tommy Lai work before?
Tommy Lai's earlier career included Penang and Laut.
What recognition has Tommy Lai received?
Michelin star (2011).
