The houses I have worked with.
Maisons, institutions and producers. Each keeps its own standard and its own voice.
These are the relationships behind more than a decade of work: the champagne, cognac and single-malt houses; the kitchen and tableware ateliers; the lifestyle marques; the state and academic institutions; and, in time, the producers closest to the land. Each has its own standard, and I keep them apart.
I owe each partner the courtesy of being taken on its own terms. Krug to Krug's standard, Hennessy to Hennessy's, the Sarawak State Government to the standard of the state, Taylor's University to the academy's. The job is to keep faith with each of them, page by page and year by year.
Each partnership led to what came after. The Krug Ambassade work led to the Coteaux de Champagne honour. The wider maison and conservation work led to the Mérite Agricole. Each came as a gift from people who chose to back what I was trying to build.
My move in 2025 from running restaurants to cultural diplomacy did not end any of these relationships. It changed their direction. Each continues at its own pace and in its own form.
The houses chose this work for what it stands for. Having them here tells you the work is taken seriously; none of them is the reason it matters.
If you are reading this on behalf of a house, what follows is how I have worked with fifteen others, to their standard and in their voice, over more than a decade. Whether yours belongs here is a conversation we can have.
The houses at the centre of the table
Where the cuvée or the cask leads.
Champagne and cognac
Krug since 2014; Hennessy from 2016; Louis XIII through the Les Voyages du Caviar work.
Single malts
The Macallan as the Six Pillars; Mortlach as the Beast at MeatMore.
The single-malt programmes
Glenmorangie at Brasserie Enfin in 2014, where the whisky work began; The Balvenie at Shin'Labo in 2022, a lesson in restraint.
The kitchen and the table
Mepra is closest to the hand, The Plan closest to the room, and Gaggenau closest to the fire.
Beyond the kitchen
Work with other disciplines, where food does not lead: engineering, decorative arts, conservation.
Where the work meets the state
Patronage from the state, carried as a mandate.
Where the work meets the academy
Responsibility for a curriculum, well beyond the occasional guest lecture from industry.
Krug.
Twelve years since 2014 with the champagne maison whose Single Ingredient discipline has shaped the work. Malaysia's first Krug Ambassade Chef. Asia's only Krug Chef's Table, begun at Brasserie Enfin, at Enfin from April 2016 and then at Shin'Labo from February 2022.
Walk into the Krug recordQuestions answered
Which maisons has James Won worked with?
Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy, Louis XIII, The Macallan, Mortlach, Glenmorangie, The Balvenie, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Gaggenau, The Plan, Mepra, BMW and Lotus Arts de Vivre, with the Sarawak State Government and Taylor's University on the institutional side.
What does an ambassador role involve?
It differs by house. With Krug it has meant the Single Ingredient programme and the Krug Chef's Table; with Hennessy, pairing dinners and the Hennessy Salon; with Gaggenau, ongoing activations and content as its Culinary Spokesperson; with The Plan and Mepra, inaugural ambassadorships.
Did the partnerships end when the restaurants closed?
No. The move in 2025 from running restaurants to cultural diplomacy changed their direction, not their existence.
How does James Won decide whether a partnership fits?
Each partner is taken on its own terms and held to its own standard: Krug to Krug's, Hennessy to Hennessy's, the state to the standard of the state. If a house writes, he will say honestly whether he is right for the work.
How do I propose a partnership?
Write to connect@chefjameswon.com and say what you are building.
Adjacent chapters
Five groups, one standard. Each maison on its own terms, each institution at its own standing. I have been honoured by every one of these partners, and I have tried to honour each of them in return.