YINGTAO
櫻桃 (’cherry’ in Mandarin)
Located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of NYC, Yingtao is a contemporary Chinese fine-dining restaurant executed with classic techniques, while celebrating an experimental and playful approach to fine dining.
Named both for Bolun’s late grandmother, Yingtao – also the Mandarin word for “cherry” – the restaurant is rooted in family, hospitality, and cultural storytelling. Yingtao exudes exceptional hospitality with a vibrant New York City edge, from its open kitchen to its sleek, high-gloss design accented in cherry red, bringing together culinary refinement and personality in equal measure.
Located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of NYC, Yingtao is a contemporary Chinese fine-dining restaurant executed with classic techniques, while celebrating an experimental and playful approach to fine dining.
Named both for Bolun’s late grandmother, Yingtao – also the Mandarin word for “cherry” – the restaurant is rooted in family, hospitality, and cultural storytelling. Yingtao exudes exceptional hospitality with a vibrant New York City edge, from its open kitchen to its sleek, high-gloss design accented in cherry red, bringing together culinary refinement and personality in equal measure.
BOLUN & LINETTE YAO - OWNERS
We both share a love for food, beverage, and memorable experiences from our upbringings across China, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the US.
Within New York City’s hospitality landscape, our goal is to innovate and explore new possibilities, infusing hip-hop influences and contemporary Chinese cultural elements into the fine-dining experience. Together, we see Yingtao as both a dining destination and a cultural platform. Through collaborations with Asian and AAPI chefs, artisans, producers, and creatives, Yingtao champions representation and visibility within fine dining. Our restaurant serves as a space for dialogue, mentorship, and collaboration, using food as a medium to amplify diverse voices and reframe how Chinese cuisine is seen, valued, and experienced at the highest level.
As partners in both life and business, we share a commitment to representation, leadership, and building spaces where culture, creativity, and community can thrive, and positioning Yingtao not only as a restaurant, but as a catalyst within the hospitality industry. In a city as diverse as New York, we are filling a long-standing gap in the market by creating an unprecedented contemporary Chinese fine-dining experience that reflects heritage, the present moment, and our own identities.
-B&L
We both share a love for food, beverage, and memorable experiences from our upbringings across China, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the US.
Within New York City’s hospitality landscape, our goal is to innovate and explore new possibilities, infusing hip-hop influences and contemporary Chinese cultural elements into the fine-dining experience. Together, we see Yingtao as both a dining destination and a cultural platform. Through collaborations with Asian and AAPI chefs, artisans, producers, and creatives, Yingtao champions representation and visibility within fine dining. Our restaurant serves as a space for dialogue, mentorship, and collaboration, using food as a medium to amplify diverse voices and reframe how Chinese cuisine is seen, valued, and experienced at the highest level.
As partners in both life and business, we share a commitment to representation, leadership, and building spaces where culture, creativity, and community can thrive, and positioning Yingtao not only as a restaurant, but as a catalyst within the hospitality industry. In a city as diverse as New York, we are filling a long-standing gap in the market by creating an unprecedented contemporary Chinese fine-dining experience that reflects heritage, the present moment, and our own identities.
-B&L
EMILY YUEN - EXECUTIVE CHEF
Chef Emily Yuen is the Executive Chef of Michelin-starred Yingtao in New York City. A Vancouver native, she has built a career shaped by global experience and a deeply personal culinary point of view rooted in heritage, technique, and storytelling.
Emily’s culinary journey spans Michelin-starred kitchens across Australia, London, Singapore, and New York, including the iconic Le Gavroche and several restaurants under Daniel Boulud. After settling in New York City, she continued her work with Boulud and further refined her approach during her time at Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, Kajitsu.
She later served as Executive Chef at Bessou in NoHo and most recently opened Lingo in Brooklyn in 2023, a Japanese American concept that blends familiar flavors with inventive, globally inspired twists. Her work at Lingo earned the restaurant a place in the Michelin Guide, and she was named a 2025 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: New York State semifinalist.
At Yingtao, Emily brings together her Chinese heritage and international influences drawn from her career abroad as the next chapter to the restaurant’s contemporary Chinese tasting menu. Her leadership reflects a broader commitment to representation in professional kitchens particularly for Chinese and Asian women and to redefining what leadership can look like in fine dining, while actively contributing to the broader conversation and future of the Chinese culinary scene.
As a mother, Emily is deeply motivated by the example she sets for her daughter. Her career is not only an expression of her craft, but a testament to the possibility of building a life around one’s passion. Through her work, she hopes to show the next generation that ambition, creativity, and family can coexist, and that women can lead at the highest levels of the culinary world without compromise.
Chef Emily Yuen is the Executive Chef of Michelin-starred Yingtao in New York City. A Vancouver native, she has built a career shaped by global experience and a deeply personal culinary point of view rooted in heritage, technique, and storytelling.
Emily’s culinary journey spans Michelin-starred kitchens across Australia, London, Singapore, and New York, including the iconic Le Gavroche and several restaurants under Daniel Boulud. After settling in New York City, she continued her work with Boulud and further refined her approach during her time at Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, Kajitsu.
She later served as Executive Chef at Bessou in NoHo and most recently opened Lingo in Brooklyn in 2023, a Japanese American concept that blends familiar flavors with inventive, globally inspired twists. Her work at Lingo earned the restaurant a place in the Michelin Guide, and she was named a 2025 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: New York State semifinalist.
At Yingtao, Emily brings together her Chinese heritage and international influences drawn from her career abroad as the next chapter to the restaurant’s contemporary Chinese tasting menu. Her leadership reflects a broader commitment to representation in professional kitchens particularly for Chinese and Asian women and to redefining what leadership can look like in fine dining, while actively contributing to the broader conversation and future of the Chinese culinary scene.
As a mother, Emily is deeply motivated by the example she sets for her daughter. Her career is not only an expression of her craft, but a testament to the possibility of building a life around one’s passion. Through her work, she hopes to show the next generation that ambition, creativity, and family can coexist, and that women can lead at the highest levels of the culinary world without compromise.
