Chef Leen Kim Nunn is the Pastry Chef at the Omni PGA Resort & Spa in Frisco, Texas. She was one of the 4 incredible finalists in our 2025 Center Stage competition! We recently interviewed her to learn a little bit more about her culinary journey. Read the full interview below and don’t forget to follow her on Instagram!
Can you share a bit about your culinary journey to this point?
My culinary journey has been very eventful so far. Culinary is my second career, my first career was in banking where I discovered that it was not the right path for me.
After being in banking industry for 4 years, I left everything to get my hands on pastry. I did this because I loved sweets, desserts, and all pastries.
I did not want to pull another student loan to go to culinary school, so I tried any jobs I can get to be in the kitchen. I started off with being a dishwasher, then busser and prep cook. When I got the opportunity to be part of pastry team at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, I learned tremendously. Then, when I became pastry chef de partie at Bottega Louie, I learned more on production and mass production. I was also very fortunate to get an opportunity to be one of the assistant pastry chef at Jean Phillipe Patisserie at Aria & Bellagio in Las Vegas. My chefs were Amaury Guichon and Romain Fournel, where I had the opportunity to learn about chocolate showpieces and elaborate French pastries.
Omni PGA Resort is known for its connection to championship golf. Are there any unique perks or challenges that come with working at this type of resort?
The perks of working at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa is being involved with golf groups, local and major tournaments/events. As a matter of fact, we are hosting Savor event this upcoming May where we will have four days of celebrity filled food, drink, golf, and music. These kinds of events are very fun. It’s inspiring and motivating. Not only I get to meet celebrities, but I also get to collaborate with them as well!
How do you approach menu development, and what influences your culinary creations?
When it comes to menu development, I turn to social media to see what is happening around the world. With a simple click, I can see what is trending in France or Japan. Again, I feel very fortunate to have resources like this! Also, I look for opportunities to incorporate my twist on the creations. In my head, it usually starts with, “What if…”
What is your favorite kitchen tool?
My favorite kitchen tool has to be scales. In my kitchen, I have 4 different types of scales. From heavy duty scale that I use when I am making mass production to microscopic scale that I can weigh 0.01 grams. Unlike savory, pastry is all about precision and scale plays a huge part in this to ensure that we have consistency.
What is a culinary goal you have for the future?
My culinary goal will be establishing a pastry team that delivers consistency, creativity and create memorable experiences to people.
Who is/was a mentor to you and what was one of the most important things you learned from them?
Chef Cesar Bermudez Cifuentes. He had a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at elBulli and he is incredibly smart and talented. He once said to me, “Leen, use your brain. It’s not only decoration.” Looking back on this, I laugh about it but it was timid when he first said this to me. This helped me to be who I am and think three steps ahead.
What advice would you give to other women working in culinary who want to advance their careers?
We must take emotions out when things don’t go the way we hoped for. In situations like this, we need to take a step back and rethink the situation from all the angles. And I say ‘we’ because it applies to me as well.
