Hainan Chicken & Hard Lessons: Chef Johnny Lee’s journey to Rasarumah. Plus, LIVE from New York, it’s Taco Bell’s Live Mas LIVE.

We’re joined today by Chef Johnny Lee, the mastermind behind Rasarumah, one of LA’s hottest new restaurants serving inventive Southeast Asian food with a heavy Malaysian bent. Chef Johnny joins us to talk about the new concept, but also about what it was like to say goodbye to his deeply personal project Pearl River Deli. We talk about Hainan chicken, the struggles of learning to be a business operator when you’ve mostly worked the line your entire career, and what it’s been like to partner with Last Word Hospitality on his new exciting venture.

But first, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Taco Bell’s Live Mas Live event in Brooklyn earlier this week. This is their event in the mold of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in which they offer sneak peeks from their test kitchen and roll out the new menu items for the year ahead. I met up with Daniel Wargo AKA Forking Around in the lobby of our hotel the morning after the event to debrief. Yes, we talk about which drops we’re most excited about, but we also ask ourselves what LA restaurants can learn from the Live Mas lifestyle. I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this event - not just the food, but really the ethos behind what Taco Bell does to innovate and to build a relationship with its fans. I think there’s tons that even the most mom and pop of establishments can learn by taking a page out of the chalupa handbook, so to speak. 

Helpful links:

Rasarumah https://rasarumah.com/

Taco Bell Live Mas LIVE recap https://www.chowhound.com/1804512/taco-bell-new-menu-items-2025/

Daniel Wargo https://www.instagram.com/forkingaround.tv/?hl=en

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