30 | EDIBLE SF SUMMER 2025 IF you don’t know the name James Yeun Leong Parry yet, you will. Formerly of Benu and later, chef de cuisine at Palette Teahouse, he’s one of a cadre of chefs in San Francisco modernizing Cantonese cuisine. Perhaps you’re one of the lucky few who nabbed a spot at one of his sold-out and wildly popular Happy Crane pop-ups, following him and his tasting menus across the Bay Area. This summer, the Happy Crane finds a permanent location as Parry opens his first restaurant in Hayes Valley. Ask Parry about his childhood taste memories (perfectly steamed fish and Coca-Cola chicken wings using a red braise typically reserved for meat), and the duality speaks volumes about his focus on wellexecuted technique. “My style of innovation draws inspiration from the familiar and is often from humble ingredients and dishes,” says Parry. Growing up in working-class Hong Kong, Parry recalls their very small apartment where kitchen space was at a premium. He watched as his grandmother transformed a cheap fish, carp, into a delicacy, perfectly steaming it and serving very simple condiments to draw out the freshness of the fish. He accompanied her and helped select ingredients at the market. Her attention and care with humble ingredients imparted to him the importance of technique that would serve him well when he eventually worked with lavish ingredients too. Parry studied business in college and began cooking for friends—nothing fancy, he admits—but they told him they’d never had Chinese food like this before. Fast forward to the conversation with his parents in Hong Kong as he prepared to pivot to a culinary career after graduating with a business degree. Their response: “Forget it.” Parry traveled throughout China and worked his way up in restaurants, starting as a front-of-house waiter. He cut his teeth cooking at Michelin-starred Bo Innovation, Ta Vie, and Tenku RyuGin, before moving to Tokyo to work at Nihonryori RyuGin. During his time at RyuGin, he met Chef Corey Lee of Benu, who was on a book tour in Hong Kong. Parry described it as the “missing puzzle piece.” Lee brought it all together for Parry—solid reputation, an Asian American former head chef at The French Laundry. He told Lee: “I want to work for you one day.” Lee replied, “We have visas. We can make that sort of thing happen.” FROM CARP TO CRANE WHERE ROOTS TAKE FLIGHT Chef Parry is the playful perfectionist rewriting Chinese cuisine with unexpected twists NEW GUARD : Writer—Annelies Zijderveld Photos—Jeremy Chiu
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