That he designer Humberto Leon –based in Los Angeles– is obsessed with food is no secret. Nor was it. What co-founder of Opening Ceremony – he was also Kenzo's creative director with Carol Lim for eight years– his shows went beyond fashion.
How? making it rain chocolate literally and edible –Belgium was his inspiration that year– or giving away boxes of Callebaut chocolates. Even handing out cronuts to the VIP guests of his first parade. His trips were the reason for his collections and his souvenirs, his best sellers.
After bringing Topshop to the US , to be the first to put some Havaianas in an (American) shop window and place on the map of gringos Swedish brands like Cheap Monday and Acne , his fame established him as a designer capable of bringing the far away to an audience that was unaware of his existence. Just what he just did with the Chifa restaurant in Los Angeles.
“We have been planning this project for two years and everything has been the result of the original Chifa, a restaurant that opened my mother -that also starred in a Kenzo campaign when David LaChapelle asked her out behind the scenes to pose for him – after moving from China to Lima in 1975”, León explains from the other end of the phone.
The prosperity of the green color welcomes customers inside the restaurant.
It was that same year when he was born and, two years later, he went to live in Los Angeles. “The opportunity arose for the whole family to become citizens. It was then that My mother abandoned her business in order to give the American dream to her children. ”, He explains to us.
The kitchen Chifa is the mixture of the Peruvian gastronomic culture with the Cantonese , but the one that stands out in the Léon restaurant adds one more: the American , always leaving fusion aside and with Wendy, Humberto's mother, leading the inspirational baton. She leads and hers son-in-law John Liu executes in the kitchen while Ricardina, his daughter and Humberto's sister, is the executive director.
“Being my mother from Hong Kong and my father from Peru, I have always had a duality when it comes to eating. When we had barbecues we had anticuchos and grilled chicken, Chinese chicken wings... all together . Our friends told us why not transfer that style of food to a restaurant, so we decided to do it”, explains Humberto.
Wok tofu with fermented bean sauce.
It is not surprising then to discover that Chifa's letter reveals dishes like chicken si yao de Popo (as they affectionately call Wendy) or grilled with chili sauce; anticuchos with cilantro and serrano chili sauce; zhongzi with bacon and egg yolk duck or Popo “wellness” soup It changes every day depending on the weather.
Food is also the excuse with which Humberto has returned to collaborating with renowned personalities, the type of alliance for which Opening Ceremony became famous from the beginning. A) Yes, thanks to Solange and her craving for fried rice with shrimp that she ate as a child in Houston, on the menu you will find your own version : with chives, garlic and ginger.
Director Spike Jonze wanted some dough. and he was the one who helped bring the wonton soup with chicken stew . Although the one that deserves the most likes is the peculiar one almond jelly tart with corn and chicha morada syrup that Lexie Park (for Instagram and her gelatinous props for The Weeknd, Asos, Nike and Vans you will know her) she devised for the León.
The jelly cake that Nünchi has created for Chifa.
A mix between aesthetics of industrial designer Syd Mead and filmmaker Wong Kar-wai It imposes itself within the restaurant room with a retro vibe and a futuristic soul, with heart-shaped windows, a predominance of green (the color of abundance), zebra-print wallpaper and terrazzo floors.
“We are in Eagle Park , the same neighborhood I grew up in. it is traditionally Latino, but also has a presence of the Filipino community Humberto explains. “Honestly, it is an area that I adore and that for me represents Los Angeles. People always think that the city is Hollywood, but nothing could be further from the truth”.
Humberto poses with his mother, Wendy, his brother-in-law John and his sister Ricardina.
Humberto and his sister have not only come together as a family in a project that revives its roots and its history , but also for change the view of Chinese food . "On special occasions, people usually go to Italian or French restaurants," laments Humberto.
He wanted Chifa to be a place to celebrate, fun and welcoming. A Chinese restaurant is never described as a wonderful and splendid place , and that was just my mission with Chifa. Who knows, maybe this will help create a movement that empowers other Chinese restaurants to do the same”.
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This report was published in number 147 of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Subscribe to the printed edition (€18, annual subscription, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The summer issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your favorite device.