Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jaysson Li. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jaysson, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Unlike many food enthusiast, instead of only enjoying food, I chose the route of actually creating and making the food behind the scenes in the restaurant industry back when I was 17. Started from being a dishwasher to attending culinary school, to basically sweating in every station in the kitchen, I have met different people that have helped me in becoming who I am today. I can’t say the road was easy but it was a fun one. I have had talented chef who cursed at me and choked me (literally) while I was a kitchen rookie to caring mentors who even took their down times to help me in becoming the person I am today. I have had the pleasure of working 14 hours shift with my peers in a hot, sweaty kitchen in Los Angeles to serving over 1500 guests in one dinner service at a 4 Diamond Award Winning Resort in Florida. There were many Obstacles, I do not know whether I ended up overcoming them, but I sure did enjoy every bit of the ride. One thing I have learned many years in the kitchen is to be humble but do not back down when the opportunity arrives. I am very fortunate to be able to pursue my passion, and have met many fighters along the journey who shared the same passion as me.

Jaysson, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Like many first generation Asian American, I arrived here at the States when I was barely 11 years old. Being basically raised here by my Grand Parents, the one thing I spent the most time with was watching television. I remember one day when I was sitting in my room browsing thru different channels, I ran into “A Cooks Tour” by the Late Chef Anthony Bourdain, from that moment I fell in love with the art of food, From there the Pandora’s Box was being unlatched. From shows like ” A Cooks Tour” to “The Mind Of a Chef” my passion for food and the culture of food was being forged little by little.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Honesty. In order for one to build a good reputation when it comes to food is Honesty. Yes, Making a profit is very important for a business, but having a mission of being able to contribute something to society is far more important than making profit. Not cutting corners and presenting fresh ingredients to our guest is our top priority.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Transparency. No one likes to be working in the dark. for people who works in the restaurant industry, we tend to spend at least 70% of our time at the restaurant. Be as transparent as possible to your staff as a manager and employer. Treat them as if they are your family since you are spending more time with them than your actual family. Make sure everyone is on the same page, treat them with respect. Treat them as if they are your comrade in the battlefield. Have their back and they will have your back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ramenzuru.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramen_zuru/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ramen-Zuru/100063616440458/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ramen-zuru-artesia