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Brandon Jew

Brandon Jew is the James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Mister Jiu’s, a contemporary fine-dining Chinese restaurant in San Francisco with a Michelin star. As a Chinese American chef, Jew is a passionate and groundbreaking advocate for San Francisco’s Chinatown, dedicated to evolving and redefining Chinese American cuisine in the Bay Area.
Brandon Jew
Chef
Brandon Jew

The Chef

Jew is rewriting the playbook on Chinese-American cuisine, balancing tradition with bold innovation. A San Francisco native, Jew’s journey began at UC Irvine, where studying biology sparked a fascination with ecosystems and ingredients—a philosophy that defines his cooking today. His culinary chops were honed abroad in Bologna and Shanghai and refined in Bay Area institutions like Zuni Café and Quince, under icons like Judy Rodgers and Michael Tusk.

In 2016, Jew opened Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown, a modern fine-dining tribute to his heritage and the neighborhood’s legacy. The restaurant, known for its thoughtful approach to Chinese-American cooking, quickly became a culinary landmark, and it made history as the first Chinese restaurant in San Francisco to earn a Michelin star, which it did just six months after opening.

Jiu later opened Moongate Lounge, a cocktail haven launched in 2019, and Mamahuhu, a fast-casual restaurant, opened in 2020.

In 2022, Jew earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef: California, solidifying his influence in the culinary world. With features in outlets like Food & Wine and Architectural Digest, he continues to shape the evolution of Chinese American cuisine with innovation, precision, and deep respect for tradition.

Restaurant

Jew’s debut restaurant, Mister Jiu’s, is a love letter to his heritage and a bold reimagination of Chinese American cuisine. Located in Chinatown’s historic Four Seas building, the Michelin-starred restaurant masterfully blends tradition and innovation, offering dishes like Liberty Farms duck, smoked with tea leaves, and Dungeness crab cheong fun, elevating a classic with Californian seasonality. The restaurant’s name pays homage to Jew’s roots—it reflects the original spelling of his family’s surname, which was altered upon their immigration to the US, making it a deeply personal tribute.

Almost a decade since opening, Mister Jiu’s continues to garner widespread acclaim, from first earning a spot on Bon Appétit’s Hot 10 list in 2017 to recognition in 2023 from The New York Times as one of San Francisco’s top dining destinations.

Above Mister Jiu’s, Moongate Lounge is a cozy, vibrant space that blends elevated mixology with Chinese-inspired flavors. At the same time, his fast-casual eatery, Mamahuhu, celebrates Chinese-American identity with a modern twist on classic comfort foods in dishes like General Tso’s chicken and beef broccoli.

Recipes and dishes

Jew has redefined Chinese American cuisine with a blend of innovation and respect for tradition, earning him a place among San Francisco’s culinary elite. At Mister Jiu’s, his Liberty Farms ‘Peking-style’ whole roast duck is legendary, smoked with tea leaves for a perfectly crisp, golden skin. It’s so popular that the kitchen churns out nearly 100 a week. Other must-try dishes include snapper with sizzling ginger and scallion, smoked Hodo tofu, and squid ink pork dumplings, each a testament to Jew’s artistry and precision.

Jew’s creative spin on classics, like sizzling rice soup, orange chicken wings, and banana black sesame pie, showcases his talent for elevating nostalgic flavors with a modern twist. Many of these recipes—and the stories behind them—are featured in his James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown (2022), a love letter to the rich history and culture of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Beyond the restaurant, Jew’s reach extends to the screen and even the skies. He’s appeared on Mind of a Chef, Ugly Delicious, and The Migrant Kitchen, and collaborated with Alaska Airlines to craft a first-class menu, proving his ability to take Chinese American cuisine to new heights—literally.

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Restaurants

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