Michelle Mah
{{Short description|American chef (born 1975)}}
{{Update|date=July 2024}}{{Infobox chef
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| name = Michelle Mah
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|4|14}}
| birth_place = Seoul, South Korea
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| education = University of California
The College of Food in San Diego
California Culinary Academy
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| style = California Asian
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- Café Japengo, San Diego, CA
- Moose's, San Francisco, CA
- Jianna, San Francisco, CA
- Turtle Bay Resort, Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Belon, San Francisco, CA
- Grand Cafe, San Francisco, CA (?—2005)
- Ponzu, San Francisco, CA (2005–2008)
- Midi, San Francisco, CA (2008–2010)
- The Brixton, San Francisco, CA (2010–2011)
- Wo Hing General Store, San Francisco, CA (2011–2012)
- The Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA (2012–2016)
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Michelle Mah is an American chef. She is the director of operations for The Slanted Door Group in San Francisco, California.{{Cite web|title=Chef Michelle Mah The Slanted Door San Francisco.|url=https://www.chefsfeed.com/chefs/503-michelle-mah|access-date=2017-09-07|publisher=Chefsfeed|date=2017}} She was previously the chef de cuisine at The Slanted Door,{{cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Bay-Area-culinary-schools-thrive-even-as-Le-12170060.php|last=Duggan|first=Tara|title=Bay Area culinary schools thrive even as Le Cordon Bleu College departs|date=2017-09-02|publisher=SF Chronicle|access-date=2021-07-16}} consulting chef at The Brixton,{{Cite news|url=http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2010/11/18/the-brixton-lands-a-pair-of-midi-vets-chefs-michelle-mah-and-jon-hara/|title=The Brixton lands a pair of Midi vets: Chefs Michelle Mah and Jon Hara|last=Lucchesi|first=Paolo|date=2010-11-18|work=Inside Scoop SF|access-date=2017-07-05|language=en-US}} and executive chef at Midi.{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Rising-star-Michelle-Mah-alights-at-Midi-2300115.php|last=Bauer|first=Michael|title=Rising star Michelle Mah alights at Midi|date=2009-06-14|publisher=SF Gate|access-date=2021-07-16}}
Early life
Michelle Mah was born in 1975 in Seoul, South Korea. At age three, she moved with her family to San Dimas, California.{{Cite web|title=Quick Pasta and Salad Dinner.|url=http://abc7chicago.com/archive/6892581/|access-date=2017-07-09|publisher=ABC7 News.|date=2009-07-01}} Her mother, grandmother, and father all cooked at home. In 1997, she earned her B.A. in Ethnic Studies and a minor in General Literature from University of California, San Diego.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/RISING-STARS-2006-Michelle-Mah-2542751.php|title=Rising Stars 2006 / Michelle Mah|last=Morgan|first=Miriam|date=2006-01-29|work=SFGate|access-date=2017-07-05}}
Career
Mah's culinary experience began at Café Japengo in San Diego under chef Amiko Gubbins, who inspired her to enroll in the nearby College of Food, where she graduated with an associate degree in Occupational Studies.{{Cite web|title=Under the Toque: Michelle Mah adds a modern twist to tradition at Ponzu.|url=http://www.nrn.com/archive/under-toque-michelle-mah-adds-modern-twist-tradition-ponzu|access-date=2017-09-07|publisher=Nation's Restaurant News.|date=2007-03-19}} She continued her education at California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco.{{cite web|url=http://www.asianculinaryforum.org/ACF/2008_Are_You_What_You_Cook_-_Asian_Culinary_Forum.html|title=Panel Discussion Are You What You Cook?|date=2008-07-21|publisher=Asian Culinary Forum|access-date=2021-07-16}} She stayed in San Francisco and worked at Moose's as a pantry cook and later completed her externship for CCA at Turtle Bay resort in Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands. When she returned, she worked as a sous chef at Paul Arenstam's Belon and later at the Grand Café, where Arenstam was executive chef. When she was offered a position as executive chef at Kimpton's Ponzu, an upscale Asian restaurant, Arenstam was very supportive and assured her she was ready for the challenge, regardless of her fears.
In 2005, she accepted the role and was named one of San Francisco Chronicle's "Rising Star Chefs" of 2006 along with Corey Lee of French Laundry and Mike Yakura of Le Colonial.{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-152054011.html|last=Shea|first=Erin J.|title=Tempting Teacups. (Editorial)|date=2006-10-01|publisher=Restaurants & Institutions |access-date=2017-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128003347/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-152054011.html|archive-date=2018-01-28|url-access= |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/RISING-STARS-2006-2505088.php|title=Rising Stars 2006|last=Bauer|first=Michael|date=2006-01-29|publisher=SF Gate|access-date=2021-07-16}} Mah told Nation's Restaurant News that she studied and researched different recipes before she felt comfortable developing her own vision for Ponzu which incorporated some Korean cuisine.{{cite web|url=https://www.nrn.com/archive/under-toque-michelle-mah-adds-modern-twist-tradition-ponzu|last=Berta|first=Dina|title=Under the Toque: Michelle Mah adds a modern twist to tradition at Ponzu|date=2007-03-19|publisher=Nation's Restaurant News|access-date=2017-07-05}} The Today Show described her approach to Asian cuisine as what she calls "Asia without a map."{{Cite news|url=http://www.today.com/food/east-meets-west-coast-short-ribs-dish-1D80355041|title=East meets West (coast) with a short ribs dish|last=Lempert|first=Phil|date=2006-05-31|work=Today.com|access-date=2017-07-05|language=en}} In 2008, she left Ponzu to join Joie de Vivre's new restaurant Midi in San Francisco's theatre district as executive chef.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/The-Inside-Scoop-San-Francisco-s-Cortez-3220162.php|title=The Inside Scoop: San Francisco's Cortez, Pescheria sold; Perry's closes|date=2008-04-02|publisher=SF Gate|access-date=2017-07-05}}{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Opening-Midi-in-San-Francisco-2302862.php|last=Wandell|first=Deb|title=Opening: Midi in San Francisco|date=2009-03-22|publisher=SF Gate|access-date=2017-07-05}} The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Mah's recipes at the restaurant, this time based on European cuisine, "creates a fantasy voyage."{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Rising-star-Michelle-Mah-alights-at-Midi-2300115.php|last=Bauer|first=Michael|title=Rising star Michelle Mah alights at Midi|date=2009-06-14|work=SF Gate|access-date=2017-07-05}} She left Midi in 2010 to "take the opportunity to remember why I love cooking in the first place" and said she was interested in working at an independent restaurant or starting one of her own.{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/insidescoop/article/San-Francisco-chef-Michelle-Mah-leaves-Midi-3172208.php|last=Luchessi|first=Paolo|title=San Francisco chef Michelle Mah leaves Midi|date=2010-09-30|publisher=SF Gate|access-date=2021-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716110145/https://www.sfgate.com/insidescoop/article/San-Francisco-chef-Michelle-Mah-leaves-Midi-3172208.php|archive-date=2021-07-16}}
Mah worked as a consulting chef at the Brixton in 2010 and in 2011 joined Charles Phan's Slanted Door Group to head up Wo Hing's General Store, a Southern Chinese street food-inspired restaurant.{{Cite news|url=http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/10/28/wo-hing-general-store-ceremoniously-opens-on-valencia-street/|last=Lucchesi|first=Paolo|title=Wo Hing General Store ceremoniously opens on Valencia|date=2011-10-28|work=Inside Scoop SF|access-date=2017-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103033837/http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/10/28/wo-hing-general-store-ceremoniously-opens-on-valencia-street/|archive-date=2011-11-03|url-status=dead}}
{{cite news|url=http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/02/29/rising-star-chefs-class-of-2006/|last=Lucchesi|first=Paolo|title=Rising Star Chefs: Class of 2006|date=2012-02-29|work=Inside Scoop SF|access-date=2017-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303160449/http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/02/29/rising-star-chefs-class-of-2006/|archive-date=2012-03-03|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://hauteliving.com/2011/10/wo-hing-general-store-opens-on-valencia-in-san-francisco/216902/|last=Cavatore|first=Alison|title=Wo Hing General Store Opens on Valencia in San Francisco|date=2011-10-31|publisher=Haute Living|access-date=2021-07-16}} She transferred to Phan's The Slanted Door in 2012 and headed the kitchen as the chef de cuisine.{{cite web|url=https://socialsciences.ucsd.edu/alumni/spotlights/previous.html|title=Previous Alumni Spotlights|date=n.d.|publisher=UCSD|access-date=2021-07-16}} In 2016, she transitioned into the role of Director of Operations.
In 2016, she was part of an event in coordination with the Asian Art Museum when the "meat shaped stone" was on display. Chefs, including Mah, created unique pork-belly recipes inspired by the rock at their restaurants.{{cite news|url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/meat-shaped-stone-taipei-519005|last=Cascone|first=Sarah|title=Taipei's Fabulous Meat-Shaped Stone |date=2016-06-15|work=artnet News|access-date=2017-07-05}} She also reviews and recommends on dining app Chefsfeed.
Awards
- "Rising Star Chef" (2006) by the San Francisco Chronicle
References
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Category:Cuisine of the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:California Culinary Academy alumni
Category:University of California, San Diego alumni