Salon · 31 January 2024
Cleanse and restore your body with these winter herbs
<p>“But for those who want to take their cleansing a step further, herbs are especially helpful.” — by Luke Wu</p>
Read itCurriculum Vitae · V2
Luke Wu
Culinary Definer & Originator of Mitochondrial Cuisine
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
The standing
Chef · Concept Builder · Founder, Crucian Farms
In crypto since 2011 — fifteen years running blockchain and Web3 systems, from open-outcry bitcoin markets to on-chain provenance and payments in production today; an AI-native operator for three years, building and maintaining the agent systems, automation and design tooling behind daily operations. Executive chef, concept builder, commercial grower. Twenty-three years across New York, Hong Kong and Vancouver; based in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Runs both sides of the pass — MICHELIN-starred brigades first, then the farms that supplied them.
Concept & culinary theory. Originator of Mitochondrial Cuisine, a culinary framework grounded in the published longevity research of Martin Picard, Valter Longo and many dozen other researchers — culinary theory, never medical advice. Author of CINDER, a live-fire, farm-fed flagship built to earn the industry’s highest distinctions.
MICHELIN-starred kitchen leadership. Formed under 13 mentor chefs whose individual records total 51 MICHELIN stars, 29 Guide recommendations and 7 rooms on a World’s 50 Best list; led in 2 MICHELIN-distinguished rooms as chef and member of the brigade, cooked full-time in 11. Chef de Cuisine at Yardbird, the year it earned its first MICHELIN star. Culinary Creative Manager for the Frantzén Group — ran their New Nordic program day-to-day at Frantzén’s Kitchen, tested dishes with Executive Chef Jim Löfdahl, the first employee hire by Björn Frantzén — today the only chef in the world holding three MICHELIN three-star restaurants at once. Executive Sous-Chef, Shangri-La Vancouver: directed whole-building Hotel & Restaurant F&B through a leadership gap spanning MICHELIN inspection months — all from a single kitchen, the former MARKET by Jean-Georges’ engine room. Carlino held its 2023 MICHELIN Recommended designation. Tournant at Perry St (Jean-Georges Vongerichten), in the Richard Meier building. Opening teams: Shang (Susur Lee), Lincoln Ristorante (Jonathan Benno), Ai Fiori (Michael White), and Romera New York. Stagiaire at Per Se and Jean Georges New York.
Agriculture & agtech. Chef, Farmer and Sales Manager at Farm.One, New York; co-founder & CTO of Farmacy, Hong Kong — together supplying 36 MICHELIN-starred rooms, 49 Guide-listed rooms in all, holding 61 MICHELIN stars. Closed the accounts chef to chef, among them L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon on two continents, Atera, Aska, Bo Innovation, Caprice, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Côte, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park and Jungsik. Founder of Crucian Farms, St. Croix — licensed and USDA-registered, ran 100% off-grid.
Operations & systems. Founder-level P&L oversight across four companies — food cost, labour, inventory, purchasing. The agent systems, automation and design tooling behind daily operations are his own build, maintained day to day alongside the kitchens and the farms.
Trilingual: English, French and Mandarin fluency form the ultimate business trifecta, combining the world’s primary financial language (English), Europe’s elite diplomatic tongue (French), and Asia’s dominant supply chain powerhouse (Mandarin) — English, native; professional and editorial command, EF SET Certified C2 Proficient · French, Fluent, International Baccalaureate Organization — IB Diploma in French A: Language and Literature · Mandarin Chinese, Conversational, Traditional Characters · Spanish, Beginner.
Open to immediate global relocation.
The lineage, counted
0Mentors' MICHELIN Guide stars
0Grand mentors' MICHELIN Guide stars
0MICHELIN starred mentor chefs
0MICHELIN Guide kitchens worked
0The World's 50 Best rooms
0MICHELIN Guide stars farmed for
The rooms, in order
2003 · North Vancouver, Canada (Lonsdale)
Moodyville's
Dishwasher
Where it all started — hands in the sink first, then clearing tables and taking orders for all day breakfast service. The humble ground everything else is built on.
2004 · North Vancouver, Canada (Lonsdale)
Browns Restaurant Group
Dishwasher → Prep → Line Cook
Worked the full climb in a high-volume casual dining room — dish pit to prep to the line. Learned mise en place, speed, and how to hold consistency through a hard service.
2004–06 · West Vancouver, Canada (Ambleside)
Carmelo's Ristorante
Dishwasher → Line Cook → Pizza Cook
Started on the dish pit and worked up the line — classic Italian, scratch cooking, pasta, wood burning brick oven pizza, and the discipline of a working kitchen.
2006–07 · North Vancouver, Canada (Grouse Mountain)
The Observatory
Line Cook
<p>West Coast seasonal fine dining atop Grouse Mountain, under chefs Sylvain Cuerrier and Anthony Sedlak.</p>
2007–08 · New York, USA (West Village · 176 Perry Street)
Perry St
Tournant
<p>Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Cuisine Moderne; garde-manger, pastry, hot apps, grill, expo and butchery. The room held its MICHELIN ★ across two editions under opening chef de cuisine Justin Bazdarich, who ran the pass daily and went on to earn his own ★ at Oxomoco. Gregory Brainin came through from the Jean-Georges development kitchen every other day; Chef Vongerichten resided above the restaurant.</p><p>It was also a building job. Perry St sits at the base of Richard Meier's residential tower, and the room cooked into the building it lived in — private events run inside residents' own apartments upstairs, and, with the Jean-Georges organisation behind it, food for the Meier building going up across the street. A restaurant serving the residences above it and the construction opposite is a different operation from a restaurant with a door onto a street.</p>
2008–10 · New York, USA (Lower East Side · Thompson LES)
Shang
Jr. Sous-Chef
<p>Opening member under Susur Lee — the Iron Chef who all but invented modern Chinese-Western cooking, and the mentor whose palate lives in every plate that follows. A second father in this business; still close to this day. Held the kitchen through service while Chef Lee filmed Bravo's Top Chef Masters, where he cooked to the season-one finale. The room was the New York Times' "Best New Restaurant." Trained directly under him and cooked his James Beard House events. Put forward by Susur for the LuckyRice Grand Feast at the Mandarin Oriental, creating and serving an original dish for Chef Kristen Kish.</p>
2009–10 · New York, USA (Greenwich Village · 381–383 Bleecker Street)
Ralph Lauren RRL
Sales Professional — Seasonal Part-Time Fashion Consultant, Cashier
<p>Ralph Lauren's RRL on Bleecker Street, under Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. Promoted classic American apparel and lifestyle products to a fashion-conscious clientele. Paired clothing and accessories to accommodate individual tastes and create storied presentations with timeless aesthetics.</p>
2010 · New York, USA (Upper West Side · Lincoln Center)
Lincoln Ristorante
Chef de Partie
Selected for MICHELIN ★★★ Chef Jonathan Benno's opening team at a $20M landmark site; room holds MICHELIN ★ today.
2011–12 · New York, USA (NoMad · Setai Fifth Avenue, renamed Langham Place in 2013)
Ai Fiori
Chef de Partie
<p>Opening team. Michael White's Italian flagship in the Setai Fifth Avenue (renamed Langham Place in 2013), run day to day by chef de cuisine Chris Jaeckle — the room earned its MICHELIN ★ on his pass during that tenure. White held four further stars at Marea ★★ and Alto ★★.</p>
2011 · New York, USA (Meatpacking District · Dream Downtown)
Romera New York
Sous-Chef
<p>Named in writing as "a chef and definer of the culinary concept Neurogastronomy," 12-course tasting under Dr. Miguel Sánchez Romera — the Argentinian chef and neurologist who earned a MICHELIN star ★ at L'Esguard outside Barcelona while heading a hospital neurology department.</p>
2013–14 · New York, USA (Lower East Side · 79 Clinton Street)
Yunnan Kitchen
Wok Chef
<p>Yunnan-focused small plates on the Lower East Side, cooking under Doron Wong — chef de cuisine at Shang, and the chef with whom Northern Tiger was later built.</p>
2014–15 · New York, USA (Battery Park City · Hudson Eats, Brookfield Place)
Northern Tiger
Executive Sous-Chef
<p>Northern Chinese farm-to-table, 400+ transactions/day; full executive duties, pro-forma to DOH inspection. Co-designed the industrial kitchen with Jimi Yui — the hand behind Nobu, Morimoto and Del Posto.</p>
2015 · New York, USA (Clinton Hill · 376 Classon Avenue)
Speedy Romeo
Line Cook (Relief)
<p>A few weeks filling shifts for Chef Justin Bazdarich, who opened the door and put the work on the board when it was needed. Everything came off the wood-fired grill — pizzas included. All live fire cooking: managing the burn, reading coals, and holding consistency through service on an open hearth.</p>
2012–14 · New York, USA (Brooklyn Navy Yard · Long Island City Rooftop)
Brooklyn Grange
Urban Farmer, Hot Sauce CPG Lead
<p>Apprenticed under Ben Flanner and Gwen Schantz — the founders who turned derelict rooftops into the world's largest soil-based urban farm. Learned intensive row-cropping on a living-roof substrate: the pepper blocks that fed the farm's signature hot-sauce programme. Worked through the full season cycle — seed starting, transplanting, integrated pest management, harvest, and post-harvest handling — while absorbing the ecological and logistical architecture of a commercially viable rooftop system. The pepper and fermentation work seeded directly into Manhattan Agriculture: later formulated Brooklyn Grange's rooftop hot sauce as a consulting project. Programme grew from $28K revenue in 2015 to $100K+ by 2020 — a 3.6× lift in five years.</p>
2015 · New York, USA (Bedford-Stuyvesant · 372 Lafayette Avenue)
The Market
Chef de Cuisine
<p>Third-wave coffee and Asian quick service for Pratt Institute; Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese styles. Built the menu, wrote the SOPs and ran operations for owners Teching Hsieh and Qinqin Li — growing daily sales from $600 to $3,000, a 5x lift.</p>
2013–17 · New York, USA (Hell's Kitchen · Silver Towers, 620 West 42nd Street)
Manhattan Agriculture
Founder, Chef Consultant
<p>Consulting agency run from two Manhattan studios — Silver Towers on 42nd Street, home to private dinners and events staged in the tower's members' spaces and to the fermentation and grow work, and a room at The Music Building on 8th Avenue that served as the agency's music recording studio and digital production office. Private chef at 740 Park Avenue for principals of the building, alongside Web 3.0 work for urban agriculture and hospitality; B2B clients incl. Victoria's Secret, Symrise AG, Anheuser-Busch InBev, The New York Times Company; formulated Brooklyn Grange's rooftop hot sauce. Believed to be the first documented sale of local rooftop-farm produce, kombucha and raw-milk ice cream for bitcoin.</p>
2012–13 · New York, USA (Upper East Side · 740 Park Avenue)
740 Park Avenue
Chef, Private Family Residence
740 Park Avenue is the address Michael Gross wrote a whole book about, calling it the world's richest apartment building — thirty-one apartments, a board reported to require a hundred million dollars in liquid net worth before it will even consider a buyer, and documented as having turned down Barbra Streisand. Manhattan's record co-op sale is still an apartment inside it. Engaged as private chef for a family in residence for over a year: the full holiday calendar — Christmas, Easter, Passover Seder, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah — and weekly Shabbat dinner, plus milestone events across the family's home. The family is deliberately unnamed — discretion is part of the engagement.
2016–18 · New York, USA (Battery Park City · Institute of Culinary Education, Brookfield Place)
Farm.One
Sales Manager, Chef & Farmer
<p>Urban vertical farm supplying 35+ MICHELIN restaurants across New York — Daniel, Marea, Aska, Atera, Agern, Jungsik, Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, Le Coucou, Côte, Mission Chinese, and more. Grew monthly B2B sales from $1K to $11K in seven months — an 11× lift. Built a working vertical farm into the basement of two-MICHELIN-star Atera.</p>
2018–19 · Hong Kong SAR, China (Pok Fu Lam · Cyberport)
Farmacy HK
Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer & Sales Manager
<p>A'Design Award-winning data-driven hydroponic system; landed five MICHELIN stars of accounts in one month. Sole salesperson for the first three months after opening — every early account opened chef to chef. Won the Cyberport/HKU incubation award and its $330,000 seed.</p>
2018–20 · Hong Kong SAR, China (Central · PMQ)
Sake Central
Executive Sous-Chef
Designed dishes and menus for a 15-seat otsumami tasting bar with regional Japanese sake pairings.
2021 · Hong Kong SAR, China (Sheung Wan · Winsome House)
Yardbird
Chef de Cuisine
<p>Chef Matt Abergel's MICHELIN one star ★ contemporary yakitori; ran three commercial binchōtan charcoal grills for robatayaki.</p>
2021–22 · Hong Kong SAR, China (Sheung Wan · 11 Upper Station Street)
Frantzén's Kitchen
Culinary Creative Manager
<p>R&D seat inside Björn Frantzén's group — today the only chef in the world holding three concurrent three-MICHELIN-star restaurants: Frantzén Stockholm (★★★ since 2018), Zén Singapore (★★★ since 2021) and FZN Dubai (★★★ 2025). Nine group stars across Stockholm, Singapore and Dubai.</p>
2022 · Hong Kong SAR, China (Sheung Wan)
Embla
R&D · Cold Bar · Hot Kitchen · Chef's Counter Service
<p>Six-week opening push for Chef Jim Löfdahl's contemporary Nordic room — Björn Frantzén's first kitchen hire and the Executive Head Chef on the pass at Frantzén's Kitchen, opening his own house in that same Sheung Wan space. Fully multifaceted role across both sides of the pass: recipe R&D and daily prep, service on the dining-room cold bar and on hot food in the kitchen, then out front at the chef's counter — pouring water, dropping and reciting plates, clearing tables, and running food from the kitchen to present at table. Each section had its own captain, so the room ran on tight BOH–FOH synchronisation to deliver premium service in a very small, very cozy dining room.</p>
2022–23 · Vancouver, Canada (Downtown · Shangri-La, now Hyatt Downtown Alberni)
Carlino & POI
Executive Sous-Chef — acting head of kitchen
<p>Kitchen Table Group held the F&B contract for the entire building. Hired to create and execute the menu for POI, the group’s new tasting concept, while running BOH for Carlino. When the Executive Chef and Culinary Director both departed, chose to stay and hold the operation together. As acting head of the kitchen, ran every outlet across the hotel and restaurant out of one kitchen — breakfast, lunch, dinner, banquets, in-room dining, weddings, private tastings — the former MARKET by Jean-Georges' engine room. Cooked and led the restaurant during the MICHELIN inspections, and Carlino maintained its MICHELIN Guide recommendation on that watch. Walking away during that transition was an option; letting the situation lower the standards of the room — or define a reputation — was not.</p>
2024 · Los Angeles, CA, USA
Pasta|Bar
Guest Chef Residency
Retained by ownership to architect, source, and execute a bespoke, multi-course tasting menu for executive stakeholders.
2024–present · Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, USA (Estate Strawberry)
Crucian Farms
Founder, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO)
<p>Off-grid Caribbean specialty-crop farm and culinary R&D base, built with wife & Co-Founder Reanne Wu. USDA-registered, biodynamic methods; mangos, avocados, hot peppers, sugar apples, 30+ herbs and spices; Tier 1 cannabis cultivation license authored end to end, AI-assisted, site-inspected Feb 2026.</p>
2026–present · Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, USA
Mitochondrial Cuisine
Founder & Chief Culinary Officer (CCO)
<p>A culinary consulting firm. Fermentation and aging programmes, menu development and costing, kitchen design and pre-opening — energy-first cuisine built on farm-direct produce, fermentation, and the technique carried out of two decades of MICHELIN kitchens.</p><p>Fermentation is the practice's spine rather than a service line on it: koji and lactic programmes, koji dry-age on beef, and dry-aging built from the first primal.</p><p>Mitochondrial Cuisine is a licensed name. The mark, the method and the programmes are used under agreement with its founders — my wife and co-founder, and me — and are not adopted by a kitchen simply because it has read about them.</p>
What the chefs said
“This letter is my personal recommendation for Luke Wu. He has been a valuable cook. I found him to be consistently pleasant, tackling all tasks given to him with a smile. As a hard worker and a thinker, Luke demonstrated technical and organizational skills that will translate well into his future culinary career. During his time here, he proved himself to be a team player and an asset to the restaurant, and I am happy to recommend him for employment in any organization.”
“Luke Wu has been an employee at SHANG since 11/14/2008. His performance as a Line Cook has been exemplary and he has performed with professionalism and talent. His attendance and attitude is consistent and reliable. Starting from August 3rd 2009, Luke Wu will be receiving a salary raise which will put his annual salary to $32,000.”
“I am writing this letter of recommendation to certify that Luke Wu worked under my orders as a chef and definer of the culinary concept Neurogastronomy at Romera New York. At all times Luke maintained an exemplary attitude about his work and he stood out for his technical skills and commitment to the culinary concept that was being developed. In terms of personal traits, Luke's sympathy and solidarity with his team and his fulfillment of work schedule were impeccable. In my personal and professional opinion, Luke has the sufficient skills as a cook to carry out a job in fine dining and it is with this letter that I recommend him without any hesitation.”
“It's my absolute pleasure to recommend Luke for any position with Farmacy HK Limited. Luke and I founded ManhattanAgriculture as an artist collective and consulting agency in late 2011. He established an online presence for us and networked with several key clients during the last 6 and a half years. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Luke, and came to know him as a truly valuable asset to absolutely any team. He organized a group of likeminded artists and helped forward the urban agriculture movement in New York. Luke is honest, dependable, and incredibly hard-working. Beyond that, he is an impressive speaker who is always inspiring others. His knowledge of culinary arts and expertise in smart farming was a huge advantage to our entire team. Luke put this skillset to work in order to create a holistically minded culinary lifestyle. Along with his undeniable talent, Luke has always been an absolute joy to work with. He is a true team player, and always manages to foster positive discussions and brings the best out of others. Without a doubt, I confidently recommend Luke to join your team at Farmacy HK. As a dedicated and knowledgeable partner and an all-around great person, I know that he will be a valuable addition to your organization.”
“Luke is a fermentational wizard; men like him are born once every eight generations. It was an honor to watch the magic of his craft at the Bitcoin Center, 100 feet from the New York Stock Exchange.”
“Luke's work ethic and food based knowledge is second to none. He has an intimate understanding of how Chef's think and what they need. He thrives in outbound, account management, and creative culinary settings. He sets the tone for anyone who works with or under him. He is incredibly generous with his time and knowledge and energizes the entire company through sheer force of will. It was an absolute pleasure working with him and I will miss his guidance, tutelage, and tenacity. Anyone operating a restaurant, food service, or food supplying company should seriously consider him as a candidate and potential invaluable addition to their team.”
“He is one of the rare administrators on Discord who openly shares his life and market decisions, always ready to assist those in need. He is precise, direct, and a knowledgeable expert in his field. I am grateful to be part of a community with such an inspiring and modest individual.”
“Working with Luke has given us the ability to customize orders and source varieties not found anywhere else. Service is extremely flexible, saving us time and money. Farm.One product quality has been exceptional.”
“Collaborating with Farm.One has been an exciting process. It has opened up many new possibilities for us. The ability to grow in-house fuels our creative process.”
“You guys are vital to one of the most popular dishes on our menu. I enjoy working with Farm.One very much”
“I have never had better service from a business. Attention to detail on every plant is 100%; the flavors are amazing and fresh. The customer service is always on point with the knowledge of everything they deliver.”
“Farm.One product quality is among the best in the industry. Their responsive service has allowed us to adapt our menu every week. I approached Farm.One because I heard about them from Chefs I've worked with previously. One thing I really liked was the wide variety of rare herbs, edible flowers and microgreens. I would recommend Farm.One to any Chef and/or restauranteur in the New York City area.”
“Farm.One's innovative technology has provided us with top quality products and service. It allows Jungsik the opportunity to explore various different garnishing elements off season or not readily available. Through our collaboration, we have been able to elevate our dishes both in aesthetics and flavor profile. Luke supplies us with information about every product's growth and is very accommodating to our high standards and demands. Farm.One has given our restaurant many outlets to explore.”
In print
Avoid Obvious Architects · 2021
K-Farm: Smart Urban Farming on the Kennedy Town waterfront
<p>Hydroponics, aquaponics and organic farming combined on Hong Kong's harbourfront — with Farmacy among the project's farmers.</p>
Read itMICHELIN Guide · 14 November 2018
Herbs and Flowers Flourish Underground at Farm.One in NYC
Adjacent to two-MICHELIN-star Atera, Farm.One distributes lesser-known microgreens and herbs to chefs throughout the boroughs.
Read itAvoid Obvious Architects · 2018
The Artist House with Aqua Farm — the first farm-to-glass concept in Hong Kong
<p>The in-house aqua farm provides most of the ingredients for the food and drinks — 90% less water, 60% less fertilizer, 11× the yield on 80% less land.</p>
Read itA' Design Award & Competition · 2017–18
The Artist House Bar with Aqua Farm — Winner, Interior Space and Exhibition Design
<p>Team members (15): Vicky Chan, Woohyun Cho, Emily Manasc, Andrew Kwong, Benjamin Cox, Olivier Gilson, Jonathan Fok, Sanford Liu, Raymond Mak, Luke Wu, Lucia Sohn, Woody Chen, Nicholas Cheng, Calvin Nip and Veronica Huang.</p>
Read itInstitute of Culinary Education · 27 January 2017
Freshen Up: FiDi Fast Food Finds with Hydroponic Farm Herbs
Farm.One team feature by founder Rob Laing, crediting "Luke Wu's Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce" among the garden ingredients.
Read itInstitute of Culinary Education · 16 December 2016
Winter Herbs for Kitchen Survival: How to Cleanse Your Body & Nourish Guests
Bylined feature by Luke Wu on herbal medicine in the professional kitchen — written from the ICE hydroponic garden, drawing on European herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and American eclectic medicine.
Read itNetflix · 2016 · Documentary
Banking on Bitcoin
<p>Featured in the feature-length documentary charting bitcoin's early New York community and the Bitcoin Center trading floor.</p>
Read itApple TV · 2016 · Documentary
Banking on Bitcoin
<p>The same documentary, streaming on Apple TV — a record of the downtown Manhattan cryptocurrency scene.</p>
Read itObserver · September 2015
Aquaponics: Inside Edenworks' Williamsburg rooftop farm
Luke Wu named as chef at The Market, on the early New York indoor-farming scene.
Read it99Bitcoins · August 2015
Farmers Markets and Bitcoin: What's Cooking in the Crypto Kitchen
<p>“We are building an agricultural network for the Information Age by adopting ecologically conscious technologies and product cycles.” — Manhattan Agriculture</p>
Read itThe Awl · February 2014
Dogecoin Is Real — And They Party With Dogs
<p>The first Dogeparty at the Bitcoin Center in downtown Manhattan — a night of cryptocurrency, community and dogs.</p>
Read itV2 Beta · the shipped site remains V1 Pro
More acts land here as they are built.
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