Ajae Opens on Oakland's Piedmont Ave With Upscale Korean Home Cooking

OAKLAND, Calif., June 3, 2026 — Restaurateur Min Park and chef Brian Shin plan to open Ajae, a restaurant focused on upscale Korean home cooking, on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, targeting a late 2026 debut that adds another chapter to a growing wave of fine-dining talent emerging from the Bay Area's most decorated kitchens.

Park, who operates Itria the contemporary Italian restaurant on 24th Street in San Francisco's Mission District and holds a partnership stake in Menlo Park's acclaimed Yeobo, Darling, is expanding his portfolio into Korean cuisine for the first time. The specific Piedmont Avenue address has not been disclosed.

Ajae and the Team Behind It

The name Ajae a Korean term of affection used to refer to an older male figure, roughly equivalent to "uncle" nods to the warmth and familiarity the restaurant aims to put on the plate. Park and Shin describe the concept as upscale Korean home cooking: the kind of food rooted in domestic Korean tradition, elevated through fine-dining technique.

Shin comes to Ajae from a résumé built at two of San Francisco's most technically demanding kitchens. He worked at Benu, Chef Corey Lee's three-Michelin-star restaurant in SoMa, and at In Situ, the Michelin-starred museum restaurant Lee operated inside SFMOMA from 2016 until 2021. Shin also trained at Alinea in Chicago, which holds three Michelin stars, and cooked comfort food at The Snug in Pacific Heights.

Park described the project to the San Francisco Chronicle as an effort to bring serious Korean cooking to a neighborhood dining context less formal than a tasting menu, but more considered than the casual end of the market.

Min Park's Track Record in the Bay Area

Park built his profile in the Bay Area restaurant business as managing partner of Itria, which he co-founded in 2021 with chef Daniel Evers in San Francisco's Mission District. The restaurant, which serves handmade pastas, crudo and seasonal Italian cooking, holds a listing in the Michelin Guide.

He also holds a founding partnership stake in Yeobo, Darling, the Korean-Taiwanese fine-dining restaurant in Menlo Park operated by husband-and-wife chefs Meichih and Michael Kim. Yeobo, Darling was added to the Michelin Guide in March 2026 after opening the prior year, with inspectors drawing attention to dishes including a potato jeon with Santa Barbara uni and prosciutto and wagyu kalbi with housemade banchan.

Park has additionally invested in or partnered with Niku, Prelude and Omakase, giving him one of the broader portfolios among non-chef restaurateurs in the Bay Area's current dining scene.

Shin Follows a Well-Worn Path Out of Benu

Shin's move into restaurant ownership continues a pattern of Benu alumni launching well-regarded independent projects in the Bay Area. James Yeun Leong Parry, a Benu alumnus, opened The Happy Crane in San Francisco in August 2025, a modern Chinese restaurant that earned national attention and a spot on Eater's list of the best new restaurants of the year.

Alan Hsu, another Benu alum, opened Sun Moon Studio in West Oakland in 2024 with his partner Sarah Cooper. The 12-seat restaurant earned a Michelin star and was named the best new restaurant in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. The New York Times placed it on its 2025 list of the nation's 50 best restaurants, and Bon Appétit named it one of the country's 20 best new restaurants of 2025.

Benu, which Lee opened in SoMa in 2010, became San Francisco's first three-Michelin-star restaurant and has maintained that distinction for more than a decade. Lee also held a Michelin star for In Situ during its five-year run at SFMOMA.

Piedmont Avenue as an Oakland Dining Destination

Piedmont Avenue has sustained a serious dining presence in Oakland for decades. James Syhabout's Commis held the neighborhood's only Michelin star for years before Sun Moon Studio added a second Oakland entry to the guide in 2024. The avenue has seen several recent vacancies, including the former Pomella space at 3770 Piedmont and The Crepe Pan at 4184 Piedmont, which closed earlier in 2026.

Ajae does not yet have a confirmed opening date beyond late 2026. No further details on the specific location, menu format or pricing have been announced.

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