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David Myers, Owner/Chef
Kuniko Yagi, chef de cuisine
Ramon Perez- Executive Pastry Chef
David Myers, Owner/Chef
David Myers’ impassioned quest for spontaneity, perfection
and perpetual fluidity has been well served by his innate
ability in the culinary arts. In tandem, these qualities have
produced unforgettable dishes and dining experiences that
today converge in the dynamic force of his restaurant Sona.
David advocates a unique philosophy toward food preparation.
“I don’t like cooking at a standstill, the same
dishes over and over,” he says. “At Sona the emphasis
is on movement; energy is the core and is everywhere. To me,
cooking should be done in a jazz environment – as improvisation
– with chefs adapting and applying their skills to whatever
seasonal ingredients are at hand and spontaneously tailoring
each dish to suit the character of the particular guest. This
way each dish becomes a new challenge, a puzzle.”
Myers designs his modern French menus to reflect the seasonal
availability of produce and fish in the Los Angeles area.
From this base of ultimate freshness, He improvises each preparation
to the specifications of his guests, adding a spontaneity
and vitality that guarantee each dish will be a unique creation.
Born in Boston and raised in Cincinnati, David attributes
his life-long obsession with fresh and organic produce to
helping his grandparents in their modest farm gardens. “There’s
nothing like garden fresh,” effuses David, “-
corn eaten steps from the stalk,
fresh milk and eggs. And when you’ve spent hours in
the garden seeding and tending, you appreciate the value of
vegetables in a profound way and the difference their freshness
makes.”
In college, David’s earnest intent to major in International
Business soon derailed. Realizing that valuable study time
was often whiled away experimenting in the kitchen, David
acknowledged that he was destined for another career. Striking
out on his own, he accepted a job at Charlie Trotter’s
in Chicago, where Chef Trotter’s culinary philosophy
made a formative impression. Attentive to David’s natural
talent and promise, Chef Trotter sent his young protégé
off to Reims, France, to work for Chef Gerard Boyer in his
three-Michelin-starred Les Crayeres. There David received
the disciplined education he was then eager to embrace.
Upon returning to the United States, David worked under the
master tutelage of Chef Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel
in New York. Ever the perfectionist, this training honed his
technical skills to a new level of precision. David’s
next move brought him to Los Angeles. Working for Chef/ Restaurateur
Joachim Splichal as Executive Sous Chef at Patina, he participated
in the 2000 renovation and re-opening of the famed restaurant.
Soon after, he joined the executive board of Raffle’s
L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills, claiming the position
of Executive Chef and opening the restaurant JAAN in the hotel.
He later supervised the opening of JAAN in the Westin Stamford
Equinox in Singapore.
Throughout this career of escalating opportunities and accolades,
David’s goal has always been his own restaurant and
the satisfactions it would afford: the development of a great
team of experts; the joy he sees in people when they experience
great food; the ability to aid charitable causes; and the
opportunity to
work with talented artisans and contribute to their careers.
That restaurant is Sona.
David has appeared on “The Today Show” and CNN.
He was honored with Food & Wine Magazine's “Best
New Chef of 2003,” and Angeleno Magazine voted him “Chef
of the Year – 2004.”
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Kuniko Yagi, chef de cuisine
Like many great chefs, Kuniko Yagi received no formal culinary training, but the artistic drive had always been with her. After graduating from Ferris College in Tokyo, Yagi began a career in finance working at Gunmai Bank. It was not long before she realized that the structured world of banking was not her professional calling and she decided to take a leap of faith. She left her native Japan for the United States seeking inspiration that luckily did not take long to appear.
Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Yagi began to work as a server in a Japanese noodle house where she discovered her affinity for gastronomy. She was inspired by the energy of a kitchen and the pleasure that a chef can bring to guests through the creativity on a plate. One day, she struck up a conversation with a customer about the new passion she was unearthing and soon discovered he was a chef himself, at one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city no less- Sona. Chef David Myers was moved by the way Yagi articulated her desire to cook, something that he usually found in much more seasoned professionals, and suggested that she stage in the Sona kitchen to see if her culinary aspirations translated into reality. Yagi was up to the challenge. She found that the blend of traditional and modern flavors with which Myers improvises perfectly suited her and her unwavering work ethic was an asset in the breakneck world of professional kitchens. Myers immediately recognized her dedication and offered her a coveted fulltime position on the Sona team, something for which other chefs work years to even be considered. Yagi’s innate culinary skill combined with strong determination, led to her rapid advancement through the ranks of the kitchen where she worked her way from the amuse station to the sous chef position in three years.
As is often seen with chefs, Yagi did not follow a conventional career path, but she followed her heart and worked tirelessly to achieve her goals. In 2007, Yagi was promoted to chef de cuisine, a role which allows her to lead talented cooks and to support Myers’ culinary viewpoint at Sona. Her passion informs her cooking with a unique sensibility and flavors which span the globe from East to West.
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Ramon Perez- Executive Pastry Chef
Chef Ramon Perez’s culinary career has taken a rather unconventional path: Instead of starting at the beginning, he jumped straight to the end. Born to chef-restaurateur parents, Perez began working in the kitchen of the famed Auberge du Soleil when he was just 12-years old. Under the tutelage of his father, he learned what it took to be a chef -- the intense hours, constant attention to detail and the overall importance of a guest’s satisfaction. When his parents opened Citronée in Nevada City, CA, a few years later, he proceeded to work through all the positions in the kitchen there before he landed at pastry in 1998. With no formal training he had little to fall back on when creating the menu, so he forged his own path. Nights were spent pouring over classic cookbooks examining images of delicate desserts; days were spent replicating them in the kitchen.
After graduating from high school, Perez was anxious to leave his quaint town to explore different avenues. He matriculated at the New England Culinary Institute, where he spent the following three years learning the basics of technique which bolstered his innate skill. Through his coursework, he mastered the foundations required for all areas of gastronomic work and he was ready to challenge himself. Immediately after graduation in 2003, he began work at Chef David Myers’ award-winning restaurant, Sona.
Throughout the next year-and-a-half, Perez moved through the kitchen stations while gleaning inspiration from Myers. The use of unique ingredients melded with classical methods was evident throughout the menu and Perez’s imagination went wild. Modern flavor profiles were an aspect of cooking he had never experimented with and was thrilled to have the opportunity to expand his repertoire.
Following his time at Sona, he staged in the kitchens of Europe for six months where his drive and work ethic was tested daily by their rigorous schedules. He then returned to Citronée where he was not only responsible for the pastry creations of the restaurant, but also the offerings in the newly opened bakery. In the summer of 2006 he returned to Sona, whose philosophy and cuisine had stayed with him throughout the years, and shortly after was named pastry chef. His desserts combine the best of the season in the most cutting-edge combinations.
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