Laura Lam - Executive Chef

Born and raised in Vietnam, Laura Lam began cooking at the age of 8. Her father owned a cookie factory and her grandfather was a rice distributor. So, rather than having dolls and paints as a child, she found entertainment in playing with flour and butter. Her passion for food translated into a passion for learning. At age 10, she received a cookbook from her father as a gift. Picture-less, it was left only up to her imagination to visualize what was done and how the end result should look. The process of learning and exploration began.

This set the groundwork for her belief that excellent cooking is primarily based upon intuition. Her customers tell her often that she has what they call a magic hand. It's because she believes great cooking comes from the heart, that Laura captures so many. And for Lam, her customers come first. 12 hours of hard work are nothing compared to even 12 seconds of watching a customer purely enjoy the result.

After years of extensive schooling, Lam began her own cooking school in Vietnam. Here, she put into action her firm belief that learning means doing. She's passionate about having her pupils do hands on work in order to get the full learning experience.

After moving to the U.S., Lam first made a name for herself in the world famous Rainbow Room. Here, her versatility and skill allowed her to master all sections of the kitchen. Laura used the invaluable knowledge of western taste she gained at the Rainbow Room and infused it into her own style of cooking. She went on to open her own restaurant, the incredibly successful Monsoon. Monsoon operated for more than 10 years until Laura decided to move on to open a restaurant that featured an even more unique style of cooking. One that not only incorporated Vietnamese and western techniques, but those she learned during her studies and travels around the world, a style of cooking closest to her heart. Welcome to Safran.