Faces of the Industry: Jonathan Wu

Jonathan Wu, joined us back in Episode 23: Seasonal Chinese Vegetables, and again as part of Episode 55: The Asian Food Mafia.

Jonathan received a degree in English from the University of Chicago. Upon graduation he decided to pursue his passion for food and embarked on a period of culinary study. He attended The French Culinary Institute and has worked in France, Spain, and Italy. In New York, he was previously the executive sous chef of Geisha before working as a chef de partie at Per Se. In 2013, Jonathan Wu opened Fung Tu where he cooked imaginative Chinese-American food with seasonal, regional ingredients. Fung Tu earned 2 stars from the New York Times and was Michelin rated. He is currently working as a private chef and writing a cookbook. 

When eating out, what neighborhood do you end up in the most?
Clinton Hill

What’s your favorite restaurant in NYC right now?
Vanessa’s Dumplings on Eldridge St. Special call out to those sesame flatbreads.

What’s a restaurant you haven’t been to yet, but on your hit list?
Jeju Noodle Bar

What’s your favorite dish to cook?
River fish in lamb broth. It’s this imperial dish that’s mentioned in the book “The Last Chinese Chef”.

Favorite drink to pair with that?
A light red, like a Lapierre, Beaujolais.

What would be your last meal on Earth?
Home cooked meal. My mother makes a stew with pigs feet, star anise, Chinese cinnamon, ginger, steeped with marinated hard-cooked eggs, watercress, daikon.