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Few chefs embody Los Angeles' evolving fine-dining identity quite like Jon Yao. Since opening Kato in a West L.A. strip mall nearly a decade ago, Yao has transformed the restaurant into one of the city's defining culinary destinations, recently earning its second Michelin star. But for Yao, the recognition is less about accolades than continual evolution—building a stronger team, deepening relationships with California producers and creating an Asian American restaurant that reflects the people, cultures and ingredients that make Los Angeles unlike anywhere else.
—Interview by Kelly Dobkin, edited by Bianca Prieto
(Photo credit: Colleen O'Brien)
Congratulations on Kato’s second Michelin star! How has your vision for Kato evolved over the past seven years?
I think ever since we moved to our new space four years ago, we've been able to hone our vision and refine our strengths. We've been able to cultivate a really strong team, strengthen our relationships with farmers and artisans, fine-tune our pantry and executions and build up our offerings as a restaurant.
You’ve often described Kato as an “Asian American restaurant” rather than simply a Taiwanese restaurant. How do you think about balancing your Taiwanese heritage with the broader influences of L.A., from California’s farmers and producers, to the city’s many cultural communities?
We're surrounded by such a talented and diverse restaurant community that we can't help but be inspired by our peers. We have so many communities rich in culture and history from which we learn and are nourished. The produce and bounty of California are absolutely unparalleled. The combination of everything just makes it a beautiful region to live and cook in. Our restaurant is informed by all these things and instead of bending things to fit tradition, we let our surroundings inform our evolution. We also respect and really listen to what our diners are telling us, so we're always striving to make them as happy as possible, so the restaurant grows in a really natural way.
(Photo credit: Colleen O'Brien)
Kato has gone through several major transformations, from its original strip mall location in Westside to its current Arts District space inside ROW DTLA, and now two Michelin stars. What lessons from those different chapters have shaped the restaurant you run today?
From the producers that supply the restaurant to the team to our diners, I really appreciate any support, no matter how large or small, that our community has shown us over the past decade. I feel like we've formed a giant community, and we really use that as fuel and that our mission at the end of the day is to really just make that community happy. I just feel very fortunate to be able to tell a story and feel supported to do that.
Los Angeles has historically been a city that doesn’t always get the same fine-dining recognition as places like New York or San Francisco. What does Kato receiving two Michelin stars mean to you—not just personally, but for the broader L.A. dining scene?
I feel that L.A. is very comfortable in knowing what we want and how we want it, and confident enough not to have to conform to other parts of the world, and that's exactly what makes this city so unique and powerful. I think the restaurant is very comfortable in understanding exactly what we do and what our strengths are and leaning in to that, and I'm just so glad that we're able to have such a concrete identity. We're happy that when you think of an L.A. restaurant, we're one you can consider and that we're not just a fine dining restaurant that happens to be in L.A.
The Prep’s Take
Kato didn't earn a second Michelin star by fitting into an established category; it earned one by refusing to. If your restaurant's concept doesn't map neatly onto a familiar label, that's not a marketing problem to fix. It might be the thing worth building your identity around instead.
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