Chase Valencia is the co-owner, general manager, and wine director of Lasita – a Filipino rotisserie and wine bar in Chinatown, Los Angeles. His approach to hospitality is shaped by Los Angeles: ingredient-driven but unfussy, collaborative by nature, and rooted in community. At Lasita, that perspective shows through Filipino cooking paired with low-intervention wines, creating a style of dining that feels both personal and distinctly of the city.

A Los Angeles native with over 15 years in hospitality, before co-founding LASA in 2017. It was through LASA he defined his point of view and helped to shape a new wave of Filipino-American dining in Los Angeles. The restaurant was praised by Jonathan Gold and featured on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown mini series, Little LA, and earned national recognition including Food & Wine’s Restaurant of the Year.

In 2021, Chase and his wife, Steff Valencia, opened Lasita and continued the vision with a sharper focus on Filipino rotisserie cooking and a thoughtfully curated wine program. Since opening, Lasita has been named one of Bon Appétit’s 50 Best New Restaurants and recognized by The Los Angeles Times as one of the 101 Best LA Restaurants and by the New York Times as one of the 25 Best Restaurants in LA. The restaurant has also become a platform for collaboration—bringing together chefs, winemakers, and creatives across cultures, with partners like Kasama and Claud, as well as producers such as Domaine le Boheme and Clos Lentiscus.