Trigg Brown
Win Son | New York
SEPTEMBER 2019
As an English literature major at the University of Virginia, Trigg Brown always worked as a cook on the side. He met his mentor Pei Jen Chang, a Taiwanese-American chef in the kitchen at Keswick Hall and Golf Club. When Chang moved to local restaurant TEN Sushi, Brown followed, learning the techniques and flavors of Japanese cuisine.
When Brown graduated in 2011, he moved to New York City to join the team at Colicchio & Sons. It was around this time that he met his current business partner Josh Ku at a barbecue in his apartment complex. Although Ku, a Taiwanese-American, worked in property management, the two discovered a common love for Taiwanese cuisine. Brown kept in touch with Ku while continuing to work at other restaurants in Manhattan, including Craft and Stephen Starr’s Upland.
In 2016, Brown and Ku opened Win Son in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The restaurant is named after Ku’s grandfather’s former textile company. In 2019, Ku and Brown were jointly shortlisted for the James Beard Award for “Best Chef, New York City,” and Brown earned a StarChefs Rising Stars Award. The duo opened Win Son Bakery, a more casual Taiwanese cafe, in the summer of 2019.
