The Chefs of Pei Wei

Chef Phil Watch Video »

Chef Phil Butler joined the Culinary Team at Pei Wei in 2011 as a Creative Culinary Chef working directly with Chef Eric, Chef Mark, and Chef Brad developing innovative flavors and dishes inspired from their culinary travels.

A native of South Florida, Chef Phil began cultivating his love of food at an early age. He was introduced to the culinary world by a sponsored Korean family that lived with him during his adolescents. Immersing himself in the culture, Chef Phil learned from the mother of the Korean family, experimenting with traditional Korean flavors and learning to cook staples such as Kimchi, Bulgogi, and Japchae. Chef Phil's early experience with a foreign culture and its cuisine fostered his admiration of cuisines from throughout Asia.

By the age of 14, Chef Phil was working in kitchens and quickly took his talents to the next level, attending the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. Upon graduating, he worked as a private chef throughout the Caribbean and in South America. Eager to further hone his skills, Chef Phil moved to Chicago, where he worked for several restaurant concepts such as Havana and Samba Room. His one of kind menus gained notoriety from "Best New Restaurants" in America by Bon appétit magazine to "Hot New Concept" by Nation's Restaurant News. Chef Phil returned to his love of Asian cuisine when he was given the opportunity to design the menu and kitchen for a new Asian concept centered around a sushi bar and noodle shop called Won Ton Club.

As a member of the Pei Wei culinary team, Phil is excited to get back to his roots and continue exploring the cuisines of Asia at Pei Wei.

Chef Mark Watch Video »

Mark Miller is recognized as one of America's foremost chefs working in regional cuisines and international flavors. Over the last 30 years he has combined his formal academic background in Cultural Anthropology with his passion for bold flavors to create groundbreaking restaurant concepts in the United States, Japan and Australia.

Mark started his culinary career at Berkeley's renowned Chez Panisse in 1977, and then in 1979 opened his first concept: Fourth Street Grill. Fourth Street Grill was the first of his 13 restaurants that featured an eclectic menu of ethnic flavors and culinary traditions that was soon to become his trademark. Some of the restaurants that followed were Santa Fe Bar and Grill, Berkeley, 1981, Coyote Café in Santa Fe, NM, 1986, Red Sage in Washington DC, 2001, Raku: Asian Grill, 1996, Loongbar in San Francisco, 1997 and Wildfire in Sydney, 2002.

He was elected to Who's Who in Food and Wine in 1985 and has been awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award for lifetime achievements and the James Beard award for best Chef in the Southwest.

He is the author of ten cookbooks and four food posters that have sold over one million copies.

Along with his restaurants and books Mark teaches on the taste and perception of ethnic flavors, especially Latin and Asian culinary traditions and he consults with major food, hotel, airline and restaurant companies.

He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico when he is not out traveling the world, tasting and learning about food and anthropology.

Chef Brad Watch Video »

As the Culinary Director of International Development at Pei Wei Asian Diner, Chef Borchardt oversees and develops new culinary ideas for the restaurant concept. In his previous role as Creative Culinary Chef for Pei Wei and P.F. Chang's China Bistro, he contributed to the research and development of new menu items.

Before joining PFCB Inc. in 2011, Chef Borchardt worked as a consulting chef at The Oyster Bar Bangkok. Previously he spent nearly four years with Hyatt International, starting as the chef at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and then taking on the role of opening chef at the Park Hyatt in Beijing. Prior to his work with Hyatt, he held the position of Executive Chef for Coyote Café.

Chef Borchardt's foray into the culinary arts began after earning his bachelor's degree from University of Kansas with a major in Philosophy. His passion for food led to additional education from Peter Kumps NY Cooking School. Chef Borchardt's interest and specialization in Asian cuisine was further developed through courses with Yiqinn Culinary School in Beijing, Sichuan University and Immersion Through Chiang Mai, a culinary program focused on Northern Thai Cuisine.

In addition to his role with Pei Wei, Chef Borchardt is a diligent chronicler of his food travels and experiences. He created a website devoted to his culinary explorations, www.expandingpalates.com, which tracks his history, journeys and extensive culinary knowledge of Asian cuisine.

Chef Borchardt is a consummate traveler and he frequently visits Asia for research and inspiration.