Secret Bao sits on Anacapa Street in downtown Santa Barbara, run by chef/owners Peter Lee and Felicia Medina. Lee grew up cooking traditional Korean food alongside his mother in San Jose before culinary school led him through kitchens on Catalina Island, in Calistoga, Sonoma Valley, Los Angeles, Las Vegas — including a stretch at Joël Robuchon — and four years as Executive Chef at Loquita before striking out on his own. Medina, of mixed Mexican, Cuban, and Chinese background, worked her way through Jamaica, Catalina Island, Sonoma, Beverly Hills, and Las Vegas, including time cooking for Jose Andrés and Scott Conant.
The restaurant started as a pop-up out of the couple's own apartment, with Handlebar Coffee Roasters lending early support, before growing into its current permanent home. Regulars who followed the concept from those pop-up days have stuck around, and the room has built a reputation among diners for consistency, attentive service, and dishes worth photographing before eating.
The restaurant started as a pop-up out of the couple's own apartment, with Handlebar Coffee Roasters lending early support, before growing into its current permanent home. Regulars who followed the concept from those pop-up days have stuck around, and the room has built a reputation among diners for consistency, attentive service, and dishes worth photographing before eating.