Angela Dimayuga
Mission Chinese | New York
February 2017
When she was 10 years old, San Jose native Angela Dimayuga knew at least one thing: She had to be a chef when she grew up. Throughout high school Dimayuga volunteered in a cafeteria. In college she continued her informal education, working various front- and back-of-house jobs to help pay the bills. Meanwhile, she earned a degree in humanities.
Eventually Dimayuga made her way to New York City, where she worked as a cook and a baker in a small cafe. Noticing her persistence and talent, the owner of that cafe encouraged Dimayuga to pursue a career in restaurants and even allowed her to use the cafe’s kitchen to get Dimayuga’s catering project off the ground.
When Vinegar Hill House opened in 2009, Dimayuga joined the kitchen under Chef Jean Adamson, whom she counts among her chief mentors. During her time there, Dimayuga worked with cooks who would go on to open The Meat Hook, Rockaway Taco, and Hartwood in Tulum, Mexico. It was a stellar band of cooks who pushed and inspired Dimayuga to grow.
Next, she joined the crew at Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese Food as sous chef, and was quickly promoted to chef de cuisine. After the Orchard Street location closed, Dimayuga was at the heart of launching the East Broadway Mission Chinese Food, where she now runs the kitchen (and the whole show) as executive chef, pulling inspiration from her Filipino roots to influence the restaurant’s punk-Szechuan cuisine.
