One of a kind wallpaper, single pour terrazzo flooring to match the handcrafted heart shaped window, and scalloped velvet seating throughout, are just some of the transporting elements of Opening Ceremony co-founder Humberto Leon’s first restaurant design: Chifa. Leon collaborated with friend and architect Michael Loverich, whose aesthetic of making structured objects out of soft playful materials are present in Leon’s family owned restaurant—meant to be an extension of the family dinner table and long awaited vision come to life. 

Located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood in Los Angeles, close to where the family lived in the 70’s and 80’s, the space is inspired by their mother’s, Wendy Leon, original restaurant in Lima, Peru where Cantonese and Peruvian dishes were always present. The menu at Chifa reflects both tradition and surprising modern twists. Humberto Leon, also former Creative Director of Kenzo, invoked his extended family through the ‘Friends of Chifa’ program that invites collaborations with personalities like Ali Wong and Solange Knowles who created a dish Trinity Fried Rice, honoring her nostalgia for eating shrimp fried rice in the 3rd ward of Houston, Texas with family and friends.