Jing Daily Interview: Chef & Restaurateur David Laris (Part One)
Recently, Jing Daily caught up with David Laris to discuss his newest restaurant venture, Le Sheng, the particularities of the Chinese fine dining scene, and the possibility of expanding his Shanghai-based empire into international markets.
On this page
- Laris Recently Launched "Modern Shanghainese" Restaurant Le Sheng
- David Laris
- Le Sheng
- Jing Daily (JD): The design and decor here feel very Chinese but also very different. You say that this restaurant is "modern Shanghainese," but what is that exactly?
- David Laris (DL)
- JD: What kind of crowd are you getting?
- DL
- JD: What about the concept of Le Sheng -- how'd it come about?
- DL
- JD: Have you picked up on things you might want to change or adapt since opening?
- DL
- JD: It's interesting you say the majority of your customers are Chinese, did you expect that? Have you seen any sort of pushback from locals?
- DL
- JD: What has the reaction been in terms of the reaction your chefs have had to you breaking into Chinese cuisine?
- DL
- JD: Building on that, do you feel that China's a particularly difficult fine dining market? If you're able to succeed in Shanghai with this concept, do you think you'd be able to succeed in New York or somewhere else?
- DL
- JD: So have you put together plans to actually expand outside of Shanghai, whether Le Sheng or another of your concepts?
- DL
- Come back tomorrow for part two of Jing Daily's interview with David Laris, covering his upcoming projects, thoughts on the Shanghai scene, and the emergence of a less status-obsessed high-end diner.
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