About James Won, questions answered
The short answers: who I am, what Serumpun Sarawak is, the restaurants, and where I am speaking next.
The questions people most often ask about James Won, answered briefly, with links to the full record.
Who he is
Who is James Won?
James Won (文明辉) is a chef based in Kuala Lumpur and the Co-Founder and Custodian of Serumpun Sarawak, a programme that carries the food knowledge of Borneo’s thirty-four indigenous communities. He cooks contemporary French cuisine with Modernist techniques, rooted in Borneo’s ingredients. He holds two French knighthoods, Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole (2024) and Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne (2014), and is Adjunct Professor at Taylor’s Culinary Institute.
Where is James Won based?
In Kuala Lumpur. He works around the world.
What is James Won’s Chinese name?
James Won’s Chinese name is 文明辉. His full name is James MF Won; the site and the press use James Won.
What honours has James Won received?
James Won holds two French knighthoods. He was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, a state order of the French Republic, in July 2024, and inducted as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne, the Champagne confraternity order, in November 2014. He is the first Malaysian chef to hold both. The full list is on Recognition.
Which brands is James Won an ambassador for?
James Won has been a Krug Ambassade Chef since June 2014, the first Malaysian chef to receive the recognition. He is Gaggenau’s first Malaysian Culinary Partner and Ambassador, the inaugural ambassador for The Plan, and an official ambassador for Mepra. His wider work with maisons is on Collaborations.
Has James Won worked with BMW?
Yes. The partnership began on 19 April 2017, when BMW Malaysia launched the new 7 Series plug-in hybrid, the 740Le with eDrive, at Menara Ken, TTDI, and James Won cooked the dinner with the Enfin team. BMW joined him again for The Macallan’s James Bond 60th anniversary launch at Shin’Labo in September 2022. The BMW page holds the films from 2022 and 2023.
Training, and the turn to conservation
Where did James Won train?
In classical French technique in Paris and Lyon. Paris taught him fine dining; Lyon taught him the bouchon, the family-recipe bistro of the Croix-Rousse. He also trained in the precision of Japanese yōshoku. Before cooking, he studied science.
Why did James Won turn from restaurants to conservation?
He has come to think a chef looks after something older than himself. By 2025 the restaurants had closed, and he turned his cooking towards the indigenous gastronomy of Sarawak and the conservation of edible medicinal flora and seeds.
What is James Won working on now?
Serumpun Sarawak, unveiled in Kuala Lumpur in July 2025, and the French Borneo cuisine platform that grows from it: contemporary French rigour and Modernist technique in conversation with the indigenous knowledge of Borneo’s thirty-four communities. He also teaches at Taylor’s Culinary Institute.
Serumpun Sarawak
What is Serumpun Sarawak?
Serumpun Sarawak is a culinary diplomacy and conservation programme that brings the food, ingredients and knowledge of Sarawak’s indigenous communities to the table, at home and abroad. It launched in Kuala Lumpur on 10 July 2025, made its international debut at Seaside Studio CASO for Sarawak Week at World Expo Osaka from 5 to 8 August 2025, held its third chapter in Gunung Mulu from 2 to 4 October 2025, and closed its founding year at Sarawak Cultural Village, Santubong, on 2 April 2026. UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Kuching endorsed it in March 2026.
What does serumpun mean?
Serumpun is a Bahasa Malaysia word meaning of the same root, of one cluster. The name speaks to the communities whose food knowledge the programme carries.
What is James Won’s role in Serumpun Sarawak?
James Won is Co-Founder and Custodian of Serumpun Sarawak. He sees the role as temporary: the knowledge belongs to the communities, and the In Motion mentees are trained to carry it on.
Restaurants
Which restaurants has James Won run?
James Won’s restaurants, in order, were BadBoyCooks Diner at Oasis Square, Ara Damansara; Brasserie Enfin at Oasis Square, Petaling Jaya (2014 to early 2016); Enfin by James Won at Menara Hap Seng, Kuala Lumpur (April 2016 to 2019/2020); Bouchon Enfin at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur; Shin’Labo by James Won at LaLaport, Kuala Lumpur (2022 to early 2025); and MeatMore at Bukit Bintang (October 2023 to 2024). Each has its own page under Restaurant Legacy.
How long did James Won work in restaurants?
Fourteen years in Malaysian food and beverage, twelve of them in fine dining, across six restaurants between 2013 and 2025.
Talks and contact
Where is James Won speaking next?
James Won joins Panel 2 of the Women in Sustainability Forum 2026 at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, on 25 November 2026, and speaks at TEDxBangsar Baru at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, on 28 November 2026. The current list is on Speaking.
How can I invite James Won to speak or collaborate?
Write to connect@chefjameswon.com about consulting, events and catering, brand collaborations, speaking, teaching, media or Serumpun Sarawak partnerships. Work with James Won sets out each route, and replies usually come within three working days.
Where can I watch James Won’s films?
On YouTube, through Metta Studio, his official channel. Films made with the maisons sit on each collaboration page, and the Media Centre lists every film and broadcast in the press archive.