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team press

APPLY
Benu is always looking for dedicated and like-
minded professionals to join our team. To apply
for a job, please send an email to
contact@benusf.com.

COREY LEE
Corey's career has spanned over 20 years of
working at some of the most acclaimed
restaurants in the world, including a tenure as
head chef at The French Laundry where his work
was recognized with a James Beard Award. He
then opened Benu in August 2010. The
restaurant has gone on to receive three Michelin
stars, four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle,
and the AAA Five Diamond Award. In 2015, he
authored the Phaidon-published cookbook
Benu, an archive documenting the restaurant’s
food, inspirations, and people who make it
possible. In recognition of his work and
influence, he also became a goodwill
ambassador for his hometown of Seoul, Korea,
an honor given to leaders in various fields.

BRANDON RODGERS
Brandon is the executive chef of our restaurant
group and has been part of the team since
Benu’s opening. In 2007, he represented the U.S.
in the Bocuse d’Or competition with Gavin
Kaysen and went on to work at Daniel and The
French Laundry. In 2013, he was named Rising
Star Chef by the San Francisco Chronicle.

SEUNGHYUN JO
Jo started cooking even before he was a student
at The National Culinary Arts High School in
Pusan, South Korea. Since then, he has traveled
abroad and worked in many fine dining kitchens
including La Maison Troisgros, Hotel Le Cheval
Blanc, and The French Laundry where he and
Corey first met in 2008.

JEONGIN HWANG
Jeongin attended culinary college in Seoul
before spending eight years with the Pierre
Gagnaire group in Seoul, Paris, Hong Kong, and
London. He also staged at Gordon Ramsey and
The Fat Duck while living abroad. Prior to joining
Benu, he helped open In Situ at the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

S E A N   C A H A L A N
A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America,
Sean started as a chef de partie and quickly rose
to sous chef. In 2018, he was awarded a grant
from Ment’or, which allowed him to spend time
in Paris and Tokyo while doing a stage at
Ledoyen and L’Effervescence.

LAUREN REED
Upon graduating from the French Culinary
Institute in New York, Lauren spent two years at
Ron Ben-Israel Cakes. In 2015, she was named
one of 7x7 magazine's "Up-and-Coming Female
Chefs You Need to Know."

LUIS PEREZ
Luis, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, is a master
butcher with over twenty-five years of
experience. He has been on the opening team of
several restaurants in San Francisco, including
Hawthorne Lane, Postrio, and Benu.

S I N É A D   Q U A C H
Sinéad began her start in restaurants at age 16.
Upon her move from southern California to the
Bay Area, she worked at Madera and Quince prior
to joining Benu. She started as a food runner
and quickly rose to captain to maître d’ to
general manager. 

YOON HA, MS
Yoon, one of about 250 Master Sommeliers in the
world, is one of the most recognized wine
professionals working in restaurants in the U.S.
Most recently, he led our team to win the James
Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program.

DONGHYUK SHIN
Donghyuk studied hotel management in his
native Seoul. He is an Advanced Sommelier
currently preparing for the Master Sommelier
Diploma Examination and also the 2014 winner
of both Sopexa's Sommelier Competition in
South Korea and 2016 Korea Sommelier of the
Year.