APPLY
Benu is always looking for dedicated professionals to join our team. To apply for a job, please email contact@benusf.com.
COREY LEE
Corey's career has spanned over 25 years of working at some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world, including a tenure as head chef at The French Laundry where his work was recognized with a James Beard Award. He then opened Benu in August 2010. The restaurant has gone on to receive three Michelin stars, four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, and the AAA Five Diamond Award. In 2015, he authored the Phaidon-published cookbook Benu, an archive documenting the restaurant’s food, inspirations, and people who make it possible. In recognition of his work and influence, he also became a goodwill ambassador for his hometown of Seoul, Korea, an honor given to leaders in various fields.
JEONG-IN HWANG
As executive chef for the group, Jeong-In manages the culinary operations across our restaurants. He joined the group after eight years with the Pierre Gagnaire group to help open In Situ at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and later transitioned to Benu. In 2021, he led the opening of SAN HO WON and continues to be involved as chef-partner. Jeong-In is originally from Korea, where he also attended culinary college at Kimpo University in Seoul.
HEE-WON CHAI
Born in Korea, Hee-Won moved to Australia at a young age. After obtaining his hospitality degree from César Ritz and ICMS in Sydney, he began his career in hotels and has worked at restaurants including Vue de Monde and Attica in Melbourne and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in London. Hee-Won joined the management team at Benu in 2018. He was also the opening general manager at SAN HO WON before becoming director of service for our group.
NICOLAS FARIAS
Nick was born in Santiago, Chile and moved to the US as a child. He started cooking in the D.C. area and eventually worked in New York at Dovetail and NIX, where he was opening chef de cuisine. Just prior to joining Benu, he cooked at Saison.
SINÉAD QUACH
Sinéad began her start in restaurants at age 16. Upon her move from southern California to the Bay Area, she worked at Madera and Quince prior to joining Benu. She has worked every position in the dining room and in 2017, became one of the youngest general managers of a Michelin-three-star restaurant and one of only a handful of women to occupy that position.
ERICA ABE
Erica immigrated from Seoul at a young age and grew up working in her family's restaurant business. As her interest in pastry grew, she went on to work at fine dining kitchens and bakeries along the West Coast, including the Seattle institution Canlis. There, she met Baruch Ellsworth, the opening pastry chef of Benu who eventually became her mentor. Most recently, she was sous chef at Dominique Ansel Bakery Los Angeles.
SEBASTIAN WONG
Sebastian started his career in the fine dining scene of his native Singapore. As part of the opening team at Odette, he worked his way up from commis to junior sous chef. He also spent time as sous chef at ESORA, learning Japanese kaiseki cuisine under Shigeru Koizumi, and Anne Sophie Pic's La Dame de Pic.
HUNG CHENG WEI
Hung Cheng was part of the opening team at several of our group’s restaurants. He later went on to work in the UK for two years at The Fat Duck in Bray and Ambassador Canton Court in Taipei before returning to Benu. He is originally from Taiwan and first met Corey Lee during an event at The Regent in 2013.
JHAO RONG FU
Jhao Rong started her career in Taipei and eventually became the youngest sous chef in the history of Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama, a pioneer of French cuisine in Taiwan. She was also very active in culinary competitions and placed first in the Taiwan selection of the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition. After working at Benu as chef de partie, she later returned as sous chef in 2023.
LUIS PEREZ
Luis, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, is a master butcher with over twenty-five years of experience. He has been on the opening team of several restaurants in San Francisco, including Hawthorne Lane, Postrio, and Benu.