James Won · 文明辉

Cooking for heritage,
diplomacy and soul.

Krug Single Ingredient: Pepper, the official Krug campaign film with James Won
KRUG SINGLE INGREDIENT: PEPPER · 2023
THE KEEPER OF SOMETHING OLDER

A chef, I have come to believe, keeps something older than himself. I spent fourteen years and six rooms learning the craft: French technique in Paris, the warmth of the Lyon bouchon, the restraint of Japanese yōshoku, all of it remade in Malaysia as contemporary French cooking with Modernist techniques. That training now goes into the conservation and cultural diplomacy of Serumpun Sarawak, working with Borneo's thirty-four indigenous communities. The French Borneo cuisine platform is growing out of that work.

I hold two French knighthoods, and I take both as an obligation. If you have come here with something in mind (a collaboration, an event, a question about Borneo), every way to work together is set out here, and the door is at the foot of every page.

CHEVALIER · 2024 Ordre du Mérite Agricole
CHEVALIER · 2014 Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne
Indigenous Sarawak ingredient, close-up, terroir-led.
NOSE TO TAIL · TERROIR · TERRUÑO

Sustainability is how we cook here every day, on every plate.

The same ingredient, finished with contemporary French execution.
Serumpun Sarawak: Borneo, the work in the field
CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Serumpun Sarawak

Borneo's thirty-four indigenous communities, and a conservation study endorsed by UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Kuching. Serumpun is now carrying that work to Osaka and beyond. It is also the foundation of the French Borneo cuisine I am building.

Discover Serumpun

Try Krug Chef's Table, Mortlach, Locally Sauced, Mérite Agricole, Ryoutei, or Serumpun Osaka.