Bun Lai of Miya's Sushi

ABOUT BUN LAI

"My life and my cuisine are a very subjective exploration and a celebration of what it is to be human. For fun, I love to drive for hours and hours and watch the neighborhoods and its people transform.  My passion is people and food is the language that I use to understand them."

-Bun Lai

As a wrestling coach, Bun has trained State and New England Champions; he was the wrestling coach of UFC fighter, John Clarke. He was last seen on NBC cornering super star women’s wrestler, Sally Roberts, in the finals of the Olympic Trials. He could barely believe himself that he was there.

A big beer drinker, he was the token cool Asian guy in a Carlsberg beer commercial that ran in Asia in 2001. He went to Asia for vacation that year, but nobody seemed to notice that he was famous, other than himself.

As a social activist, Bun is, especially, passionate about children, gay, immigrant, minority and women’s rights. Bun works with numerous local and national nonprofits. He has driven for Meals on Wheels and cooked in soup kitchens.

 As an ecological activist, Bun is especially passionate about sustainable food practices. His restaurant is the first and only sustainable sushi restaurant in the North East (one of four in America) with the largest vegetarian sushi menu in the world. Bun was, recently, featured in a cover story in the business section of the New York Times for his work on sustainability with the WeShop Network.

As a super hero, last summer Bun was pistol-whipped, while breaking up a gang mugging. Though his jaw hurt for months it was worth it; the victim, who was homeless, left unscathed and with his possessions.

Bun Lai is the 2010 recipient of the Key to the City of New Haven, The Elm Ivy Award, for his contribution to the community.

Bun recently presented a lecture on creativity and entrepreneurship at RPI.  He has, also, spoken at Yale School of Management.  Next month, August 24th, Bun Lai will be speaking with Trevor Corson, the author of Zen of Fish and The Secret Life of Lobsters, at the Museum of the City of NY.