Erica Abe: ‘I truly love my craft, Benu is a good place where I can practice every day’

What happens in San Francisco does not stay in San Francisco, but echoes around the United States, making this city a launching point for entrepreneurs and startups: what happens in this city becomes trendy, chick and unique – it becomes a must do, must have or must eat.

San Francisco currently has 39 Michelin stars, only two restaurants have 3: Atelier Creen and Benu led by chef Corey Lee. Benu, inspired by Korean and Cantonese food, has been recognized by The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants and James Beard awards for best chef.

Corey Lee has a very talented team put in place to run the daily operation, and among them is Erica Abe, a talented pastry chef known for her exquisite desserts and creative flavor combinations. She draws her style and inspiration by her Korean and American influences, she works with seasonal, local ingredients, creating innovative textures.

She herself explains to us in so good.. magazine 33 what it’s like to work in Benu, a restaurant widely recognized throughout the world. We share below a fragment of the interview published in the paper magazine.

Why did you decide to work at Benu?

I had always wanted to work at Benu. I learned about Corey Lee after reading an online article about him. He is Korean, just like me, and immigrated to the United States at a young age, just like me. I was astounded by his achievements and inspired by his genius and love of craft. I saw him as a role model, and saw in him a kindred spirit due. In 2021 I learned about an opening for pastry chef at Benu from a former colleague, and applied right away.

How often do you change your desserts and how involved is Corey Lee in this process?

We change desserts seasonally. These are planned quite ahead of time and Corey Lee is very involved in the process. Overall, I would say that the creative process is very collaborative.

I think a lot of my inspiration comes from my Korean background, and I often enjoy tapping into it as a reference point in conjunction with western technique.

Sometimes, inspiration can also come from an ingredient – as in, a special product and its potential. I also like to see what is happening on the savory side, where maybe there is a past, present, or future dish that could have some application in dessert form. I also feel pretty  inspired from traveling. I don’t aim to recreate something that I ate somewhere else, but I might see potential in utilizing a technique, a texture, a look, or a flavor profile that I saw somewhere else at Benu.

I truly love my craft. I am at a good place where I can practice it every day, and developing new dishes is always exciting.

What do you love the most about your job?

I love many different aspects of my job! First, I am truly proud of the cuisine that we serve at Benu. It is an amalgamation of elevated techniques executed through great local and international products.

Knowing that we are able to do what we do and having a platform for it is very gratifying. I also work with great colleagues. Everyone is passionate about their work, whether they are working in front or back of house.

Lastly, Corey Lee is a great boss to work for. He is strict and definitely pushes you out of your comfort zone. At the same time, he is generous, and cares greatly about individual growth.