James Yeun Leong Parry
The Happy Crane | San Francisco, CA
September 2026
In 2010, James Yeun Leong Parry talked his way into his first industry job after college—making use of his fluency in both Cantonese and English—to get a front-of-house gig at Bo Innovation, Chef Alvin Leung's avant-garde Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. Parry's can-do attitude stood out to Leung, and he quickly transferred him to the kitchen, where he moved from dishwashing to the line to helping the group open Bo London in 2012. Parry switched his focus to Japanese cuisine in 2015, securing an apprenticeship at Tenku RyuGin in Hong Kong, where he practiced exacting techniques and learned the complexities of seasonal cooking under Chef Hideaki Sato. Looking to further his training in Japanese cooking, Parry moved to Tokyo to train under Sato's mentor, Chef Seiji Yamamoto at Nihonryori RyuGin, before coming back to Hong Kong to work with Sato again at Ta Vie. In 2017, Parry took a job at Chef May Chow's Happy Paradise, a more playful and casual Chinese spot.
Parry, who had been an admirer of Rising Stars alum Corey Lee's progressive Asian cooking, moved to San Francisco in 2018 to work for Lee at Benu, where he grew in the intense yet collaborative kitchen. He later took a job as the head chef of Palette Tea House, a high-volume dim sum spot, and began hosting pop-ups throughout the Bay Area, showcasing Cantonese-rooted dishes shaped by his years of fine-dining training. On his days off, Parry looked for guidance from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, while writing a business plan at local libraries. His hard work materialized in 2025, when The Happy Crane opened in its brick-and-mortar location in Hayes Valley. At the restaurant, Parry hopes to change perceptions of regional Chinese cooking, broadening its scope in a casual, yet refined setting with dishes like his char siu coppa and chicken liver mousse bao. Amid a busy restaurant opening, Parry stays connected to the community and contributes to organizations like the Asian Pacific Fund and Meals on Wheels.
2026 StarChefs San Francisco-Oakland Rising Stars Award Winner
