Rasa was founded by siblings Tommy and Camie Lai and is named after their hometown just one hour north of Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. In addition to being the name of their town, Rasa also means “taste” and “feeling” in Malay. The Lai siblings grew up developing their culinary skills alongside their mother. She shared with them her traditional family recipes of Malaysia’s legendary street food as well as the Malaysian style of comfort food cooking called “choo char.”

When they moved to New York City in the 1990s, they both worked their way up in the restaurant business through some of Manhattan’s best Malaysian restaurants. Tommy began as an apprentice and then eventually was hired to lead the kitchen at Laut, which earned a Michelin star under his stewardship. Camie went a different route, managing countless Manhattan restaurants over the years. Together, they created a menu at Rasa featuring many of the recipes from their childhood. And together, they hope to raise the profile of home-cooked Malaysian dishes and street food rarely seen in New York City.