Oliver Lange Has Been Promoted to Corporate Executive Chef, Zuma Restaurants, U.S.

In this role, Chef Lange will oversee the menu development of all three domestic Zuma, New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

Chef Lange has been with Zuma since January 2015, when he joined the award-winning, flagship London location as Head Chef. In September of the same year, he relocated to Zuma New York as Executive Chef, and helped open Zuma’s newest location in January 2017 inside the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Throughout the years, Chef Lange has had the privilege of collaborating with founder Rainer Becker, with whom he shares a passion for contemporary Japanese cuisine; both driven by a creativity, team work and ‘kokoro,’ which is Japanese for heart, mind and spirit.

Chef Oliver Lange was born in Berlin where he developed a passion for cooking at a young age. Immersing himself in the Japanese culture by visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Nara and Kyoto, Oliver studied and was inspired by the art of Japanese cuisine. He caught the attention of star chef Mario Lohninger (Danube NYC), with whom he collaborated to earn a Michelin star for the restaurant, “Silk”, in Frankfurt’s Cocoon Club.

In 2009, after winning the German cooking show, “Restaurant sucht Chef”, Oliver opened his pop up restaurant in Munich “Kokoro by Ollysan” to critical acclaim, receiving 14 Gault Millau points. In 2010, he took up permanent residence at Zenzakan, Pan-Asian Supperclub in Frankfurt, where his work won the title of ‘Best Innovative and Creative Sushi’ in Germany by Guide Michelin 2011.

With his own catering and hospitality company, “Kokoro”, Oliver garnered critical acclaim throughout Europe and the Americas, collaborating with top hospitality groups and private clients to produce unique premium food concepts. Oliver moved to London in 2013 to open the much-anticipated Serpentine Sackler Gallery restaurant, “The Magazine”, designed by the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Zaha Hadid.

Oliver joined Zuma London in January 2015, being named Head Chef in April of the same year. He took over as Executive Chef of Zuma New York in September 2015. It was a natural next step for Oliver to collaborate with Zuma, as he and founder Rainer Becker share the same passion for Japanese contemporary cuisine. His work is driven by a continuous search for new inspiration, creativity, team work and ‘Kokoro’ (Japanese for the heart, mind, and spirit).

In 2017, Oliver was promoted to Corporate Executive Chef of the United States for Zuma Restaurants, where he will oversee the menu creation and development of all three domestic Zuma locations, including New York, Miami and Las Vegas.