Zhan Chen
Phoenix Palace and Potluck Club | New York
February 2025
While his parents were at work, Zhan Chen was experimenting in the kitchen of his family’s home in New York’s Chinatown, adding soy sauce and other condiments to rice and getting creative with his instant ramen. By the time he graduated high school, Chen knew food was his calling. He graduated from culinary school in 2012 and joined the team at Isa, working for Chef Ignacio Mattos. After taking a year off from the industry, Chen dove into California cuisine at Jonathan Waxman’s Jams while working under Chefs Ginger Pierce and Preston Madson. Then, he moved to Pheasant in Williamsburg, where he gained a deeper understanding of seasonal produce from Chef Vincent Fraissange, learned how to build efficient systems for service, and took on event and catering work.
Ready for the next step, Chen, along with a group of partners, started to conceive of a Chinatown restaurant of their own—the kind of place that spoke to their upbringing, reflected their community, and looked to the future. Potluck Club, which opened in 2022 and was Chen’s first time cooking Cantonese food in a professional setting, quickly became a neighborhood mainstay with its locally inspired dishes. In 2024, the group opened their second restaurant, Phoenix Palace. There, Chen has devised a menu that continues to mix modern and traditional Cantonese flavors, preparations, and techniques through dishes like his Castelvetrano olive youtiao with lap cheong jam and fig mostarda. Beyond the kitchen, Chen and his partners are committed to their community, fostering relationships with the surrounding area, donating hundreds of meals monthly through a partnership with More Than a Meal, and fighting to revitalize Chinatown for current and future generations.
