From Outsider to Michelin Star: Jon Yao’s Scientific Pursuit of Perfection

Jon Yao doesn’t rely on instinct alone. While many chefs speak of cooking as an art, driven by feeling and experience, Yao takes a more analytical approach. Every dish at Kato, his Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant, is the result of meticulous research, rigorous testing, and a deep commitment to data. “We document everything,” he says. “Even if an idea doesn’t work now, it might later. So we catalog it.”

A Curious Mind and a Love for Food

Born and raised in Walnut, California, in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, Yao grew up as a first-generation Taiwanese American. Food was always central in his household, not as a professional pursuit but as an essential cultural touchstone. His mother, a self-taught cook, learned from television and family recipes, recreating dishes that became part of their household’s repertoire. He recalls being fascinated with eggs as a child—not just as food, but as an ingredient of transformation. “My mom made it a point to tell me that eggs were a luxury,” he says. “So I just made a lot of eggs.”

As a kid, he spent much of his time in restaurants—not working in them yet, but absorbing their energy. A close family friend ran a small chain of Taiwanese restaurants, where Yao spent hours watching the controlled chaos of a kitchen. Though he didn’t know it at the time, those experiences were laying a foundation for his future.

From Law School Plans to Kitchen Life

Yao’s path to becoming a chef was unconventional. He originally planned to pursue law, studying anthropology at UC Riverside while preparing for the LSATs. But food was a constant pull. “I would save up money to go try different restaurants in LA,” he recalls. “Not just for the food, but to understand how things worked.”

While in college, he started working in small Asian restaurants, doing everything from bussing tables to dishwashing to cutting vegetables. Then came the stages—long, unpaid apprenticeships in professional kitchens. Unlike traditional culinary students who climb the ranks in structured kitchens, Yao pieced together his education by working in multiple restaurants, absorbing techniques, and devouring cookbooks. The French Laundry Cookbook was a revelation to him. “It was like reading about magic,” he says.

The lack of formal training shaped his approach. “In school, you’re conditioned to think you need certifications to be qualified,” he says. “But in kitchens, no one cares about that. It’s about what you can do.” This mindset led him to question everything—why techniques were done a certain way, whether long-held traditions made sense, and how small adjustments could lead to better outcomes.

The Birth of Kato

In 2016, Yao opened Kato in a strip mall—a small space that was originally meant to be a café. But demand and ambition pushed it toward a tasting menu format, where he could refine dishes and apply his data-driven approach. “A lot of things in hospitality are done because that’s how they’ve always been done,” Yao says. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the best way.”

The restaurant grew a loyal following, and in 2019, it earned its first Michelin star. But Yao was still refining his vision. He wanted to reframe Taiwanese food in a fine dining context without watering it down for Western audiences. He was also deeply aware of the way fine dining had made his own family feel like outsiders. “Growing up, we’d go to restaurants where we were always made to feel less than,” he says. Kato became, in part, his answer to that—a space where diners like his parents felt welcomed and valued.

The Science of Cooking at Kato

Unlike many chefs who rely on intuition, Yao approaches cooking like a scientist. At Kato, dishes go through an exhaustive R&D process. He and his team document variations, test hypotheses, and analyze results. “We poke as many holes in a dish as possible before it ever reaches a guest,” he explains. Instead of relying on handed-down techniques, he applies the scientific method—comparing ingredients, testing cooking methods, and making iterative adjustments.

For Yao, the only truth is empirical data. If a certain cooking method or ingredient improves a dish, he embraces it, regardless of tradition. His goal is not to replicate, but to refine.

Redefining Fine Dining

Since relocating Kato to a larger downtown Los Angeles space in 2021, Yao has doubled down on his analytical approach. The move gave him the resources to expand his research, refine sourcing, and push the boundaries of what a modern Taiwanese fine dining experience could be.

But for Yao, it’s about more than just technical excellence. He wants to create a restaurant where dining isn’t just an exclusive experience, but an inclusive one. A place where guests, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds, feel valued and seen.

His path hasn’t always been easy. When he first opened Kato, he often felt like an outsider in the fine dining industry. “We definitely had a target on our back,” he says. Without the credentials of a well-known kitchen on his résumé, people doubted him. There was skepticism about whether he had the experience to run a serious restaurant. “I get it,” he admits. “It’s hard for people to trust you when you haven’t ‘earned it’ in the traditional way.”

But now, with a Michelin star already under his belt, Yao’s next goal is clear: pushing Kato to the next level. A second star, perhaps. A continued redefinition of what fine dining can be. And, above all, a relentless pursuit of precision.