FOOD & DRINK
Peter Yang, 29
COFOUNDER, POKÉWORKS
What’s in a sushi burrito? Like tradition-
al ones, it contains rice and avocado, but the
similarities end there. Roasted seaweed wraps
replace fl our or corn tortillas, and inside are
such ingredients as raw salmon, tuna, mango,
pickled ginger and wasabi aioli.
The idea of a sushi burrito caused so much
salivation in America last year that a video of
one prepared at Peter Yang’s Pokéworks went
viral on Facebook, accumulating 49 million
views. After that, his six-seat Manhattan shop
had two-hour lines morning till night for the
rest of the year. “It was make or break for us,”
says Yang, who cofounded the company with
$150,000 in savings in 2015.
As his company’s name suggests, Yang’s
work is serving up poke—pronounced poh-
kay—to new clientele. The dishes of raw fi sh
are rooted in traditional Hawaiian cuisine, and
Pokéworks serves bowls (fi sh and noodles, rice
or quinoa), salads (with add-ins like lotus-root
chips, seaweed and edamame) and the afore-
mentioned burritos prepared on a Chipotle-
style assembly line. A meal costs about $12.
Pokéworks should bring about
$15 million in revenue this year from 13 loca-
tions (with 5 more set to open by 2018) across
America and Canada. Yang, who immigrated
to San Diego with his family from China at age
6 and whose fi rst job was as a drive-through
attendant at a burger joint, hopes to reach 100
stores by 2020. “We focus on customization
because we saw a trend for diners to be more
conscientious of what they’re eating,” Yang
says. “We wanted to have that option for ev-
erybody—just the way they like it.” —Maggie
McGrath, Natalie Sportelli and Chloe SorvinoJUDGES
Nicholas Jammet, Jonathan
Neman, Nathaniel Ru,
cofounders, Sweetgreen
(Under 30 Class of 2012)
Lee Schrager, founder, South
Beach and New York Wine &
Food Festivals
Christina Tosi, chef-founder,
Milk Bar58 | FORBES ASIA DECEMBER 2017Erik Brust, Connor Wray, 25, 25
Cofounders, JonnyPops
Jordan Buckner, 29
Founder, TeaSquares
Aaron Caddel, 26
Founder, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
Sommer Carroll, 26
Cofounder, Dirty Lemon Beverages
Marian Cheng, 29
Cofounder, Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings
Benjamin Chesler, 25
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Ayesha Curry, 28
Chef-personality
Chase Damiano,
Jeremy Martin, 29, 29
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Joe Coff ee Roasters
Mike Dee, Nick Devane, 27, 26
Cofounders, Foodworks
Graham Fortgang,
Max Fortgang, 25, 28
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David Foulquier, 27
Owner, Fooq’s
Daniel Honig, 28
Founder, Happy Valley Meat
Victoria James, 27
Corporate beverage director, Cote,
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Laura Johnson, 26
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Jordan Schwartz, 28, 27
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Irene Li, 27
Cofounder, Mei Mei
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Marguerite Mariscal, 28
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Shawn Nagpal, 29
Founder, Nagpal Restaurant Group
Grant Pinkerton, 29
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Amanda Pizarro, 25
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Anna Polonsky, 29
Cofounder, Th e MP Shift
César Ponsonnet, 29
Maître d’, Le Bernardin
Grant Reynolds, 29
Partner, Delicious Hospitality Group
Carlie Steiner, 26
Co-owner, Himitsu
Michael Tierney, 28
Founder, Mikey’s
Peter Yang, 29
Cofounder, Pokéworks
Amy Zitelman, Jackie Zitelman,
28, 29
Cofounders, Soom Foods
Maria Zizka, 29
Cookbook writer3O 3O
PETER YANG WEARS A SUEDE JACKET (PRICE UPON REQUEST), COTTON T-SHIRT ($128) AND STRETCH JEANS ($198) BY JOHN VARVATOS. LEATHER SNEAKERS BY FRATELLI ROSSETTI ($560).STYLE ASSISTANTS: MAXIMILLIAN PARKINSON, DEB MILSTEIN, PATTIE BARBOSA; GROOMING: SUZANA HALLILI