Food can be a powerful thing. It provides sustenance, yes, but its potent ability to feed us emotionally is perhaps what makes it truly nourishing. Food can evoke vivid memories from childhood. It can bring communities together. It can be artistic and creative. But most importantly, it can remind you of home.
For Jonathan Thoma, who is currently a partnering chef at Edgemar Restaurant in Santa Monica, his path to food has been a decade-long journey and has allowed him to re-discover his own cultural identity as a result. Having spent 10 years in business, Thoma realized that he didn’t feel fulfilled and something needed to change. After starting from the ground up as a prep cook and working his way through the ranks, Thoma eventually found his way to helping open Edgemar in 2024.
Designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, Edgemar is a stunning space that is a feast for the senses. Known for its global coastal fusion cuisine, the restaurant draws from various international dishes with a prominent emphasis on Japanese, Indian, and Southeast Asian influences that reflect the chefs' backgrounds. And as we learned from our conversation with Thoma, his Malaysian mother greatly inspired his love of food and in showing him the power of cuisine as a way to connect with not only his culture, but also to his family.
Thoma was able to feel close to his roots through food and even though he is currently geographically distanced from them, he is able to feel their presence through the recipes that his mother used to prepare. His respect for culturally enriched foods has also informed the way that he approaches both his kitchen and his team. Comprised of mostly immigrants, like his mother, Jonathan is committed to creating dishes that are true to the people that inspired them. He is not here to create flashy dishes, but rather food that makes people happy. Plain and simple.
Read on to see our full conversation with Jonathan Thoma as we dive deeper into how his mother influenced his passion for cooking, why he loves the culinary environment in LA, and what some of the most important lessons he has learned as a chef are.
Edgemar Restaurant + Lounge
2435 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States
LANG: Can you tell us a bit more about your journey becoming a chef? How did you get to where you are today?
Jonathan Thoma: My journey has been a little different than most. I spent 10 years in business, never quite finding my path, until I really took the time to ask myself what would truly make me happy and that answer led me to food. I started from the ground up, spending six years at Grand Blanco as a prep cook and later as a chef at Great White and eventually brought me to opening Edgemar.
You learned to cook in your mother’s kitchen. What made you fall in love with cooking? And how did your mom influence that passion?
Being half Malaysian, it was important to my mom that we understood her culture and the best way she knew how to share it was through food. I’ve always felt more Malaysian than anything else, and food became my way of connecting not just to the culture, but to my grandma as well.
What started as simple sustenance grew into a passion and eventually, an entire lifestyle. One of my favorite dishes is Short Rib Rendang, a recipe I learned in my mother’s kitchen, the same one she made whenever company came over. Cooking unlocked my creativity in a way business never did. There was always something missing before but once I stepped into the kitchen, life became fun.
Edgemar is inspired by a lot of different cuisines. What has it been like working as a chef in LA, where there are so many different cultures coming together through food?
I’ve always said that if I was going to cook, I wanted to do it in a city where food truly matters, where people travel for it. Being able to do that in LA feels like a privilege, especially because of the team I work with. My line cooks come from all different cultures and over time, their backgrounds have influenced the way I cook in ways I didn’t even notice at first. You naturally pick up new techniques, recipes, and flavor combinations just by being around them. It’s become this unique blend—using the richness of different cultures and the ingredients we have at our fingertips to create something that feels both personal and global.
What makes the Edgemar dining experience unique?
Edgemar is an incredible space. Originally built by Frank Gehry, it offers an elevated experience the moment you walk through the door. While the setting is beautiful, our goal as a team is to make guests feel at home. At the heart of it, we’re a community restaurant committed to providing not just a meal, but a truly memorable dinner experience.
How has your own heritage inspired the way that you cook?
The easiest way for me to feel close to my roots is through food. My family lives far away, and I only see them a couple of times a year, but food has a way of eliciting the same warmth and connection as being with them. The dishes my mom and grandma made carry those feelings and every time I cook them, it’s like I’m embracing them through the food.
What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned as a chef?
Hard work is a universal language. Many people I work with don’t speak English, and you gain their respect by treating them well. As a chef managing people, that’s just as important as cooking the food. My goal isn’t to create flashy dishes, it’s to make people happy. The greatest joy in my life is knowing that my kitchen and restaurant trust me. My kitchen is full of immigrants, just like my mom was, so I understand their struggles even if they don’t know I do. They’re like family to me, and that’s what keeps everything in perspective.
What is your go-to comfort food?
A simple bowl of white rice with whatever’s on hand, even some scrambled eggs, steamed broccoli, and a bit of sauce.
What makes someone LANG? (Lang means beautiful in Cantonese)
The way they treat others and not for show, and the way they show up for people. Consistently. That shows how they are on the inside and how beautiful they are.
Photography: Rodrigo Ramirez / @rigoshotme
SHOP JONATHAN'S LOOK
CODA Indigo Acid Washed Distressed Denim Slant Jacket
