--- title: "Bolun Yao and Linette Pham: The Boundary-Setting Principle That Keeps A Michelin-Starred Restaurant Power Couple Thriving" url: "https://authoritymag.co/articles/bolun-yao-and-linette-pham-the-boundary-setting-principle-that-keeps-a-michelin-starred-restaura" publisher: "Authority Magazine" author: "Authority Magazine Editorial Staff" authorUrl: "https://authoritymag.co/authors/authority-magazine-editorial-staff" interviewee: "Bolun Yao and Linette Pham" company: "Yingtao" category: "Business" datePublished: "2025-09-05T20:31:30.340Z" dateModified: "2026-11-12T17:05:11.919Z" tags: "Business" --- # Bolun Yao and Linette Pham: The Boundary-Setting Principle That Keeps A Michelin-Starred Restaurant Power Couple Thriving *The co-owners of New York City's Yingtao share how separating relationships from roles and maintaining relentless communication ensures operational excellence in the grueling fine dining industry.* > The allergy was noted during the reservation call, but never got transferred to the restaurant notes. The host didn’t flag it during the greet, the server didn’t confirm allergies, and the kitchen never knew. --- As*a part of our series about lessons from Thriving Power Couples, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bolun Yao and Linette Pham.* *Bolun Yao and Linette Pham are the husband-and-wife duo behind*[Yingtao](https://yingtaonyc.com/)*, a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City that reimagines the flavors of Bolun’s childhood in Xi’an, China through the lens of contemporary fine dining. At just 28 and 25, respectively, they are among the youngest partners to own and operate a Michelin-starred restaurant, bringing a deeply personal and globally informed perspective to hospitality.* *Born in Xi’an and raised in California, Bolun is the founder of August Hospitality Group and leads Yingtao’s creative vision and business operations. Linette, born in Singapore and raised between Vietnam, Singapore, and the Pacific Northwest, serves as Yingtao’s General Manager, where she oversees service, staff training, and guest experience with meticulous attention to detail.* *The two first met at Jungsik — Bolun as a regular, Linette as a host — and reconnected years later to build Yingtao from the ground up. Today, their complementary strengths and shared passion for hospitality have made Yingtao one of the most compelling new restaurants in New York’s fine dining scene.* --- **Thank you so much for doing this with us! What brought you two to a career in hospitality?** We came to hospitality from very different starting points, Bolun from the creative and entrepreneurial side, and me from a background in engineering and operations. But we both fell in love with restaurants as a medium for connection and storytelling. Hospitality lets us combine our strengths: creativity, precision, culture, and care. **Can you share the most interesting story that occurred since you two got married?** Since getting married, the most interesting story has probably been the night we ended up working an unexpected dinner service together in full formalwear. We had just left a gala across town when we got a call that two staff members had a family emergency and we were short-staffed for a fully booked service. We showed up at the restaurant still in a gown and tux. I was seating tables and running food and beverages, and he was in the kitchen helping polish with a bow tie. If you’ve seen us at Yingtao, the space is not that serious to expect full formalwear so we looked very out of place. It was chaos, but it was also one of those moments where we both looked around mid-shift, exhausted, sweating, laughing, and thought, ‘Yep. This is us. This is our life now.’ And weirdly, we wouldn’t trade it for anything. **What inspired you to work together?** We realized we had complementary skill sets and a shared vision. Bolun is big-picture, brand-forward, and thrives in the conceptual phase. I love operations, logistics, and translating vision into systems. Our decision to work together came from wanting to build something long-lasting that reflected both our values and cultural identities. **Have there been any disasters caused by miscommunication? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?** We once had a dish go out to a guest with an allergy, thankfully not a severe one, but enough to be a wake-up call. What happened? The allergy was noted during the reservation call, but never got transferred to the restaurant notes. The host didn’t flag it during the greet, the server didn’t confirm allergies, and the kitchen never knew. When the guest mentioned they felt a little off, we checked the notes and realized the chain of communication had broken at every link. Everyone assumed someone else had it covered. No one was careless, but no one confirmed either. The lesson? Every moment of service is a handoff. From the moment a reservation comes in to when the plate hits the table, everyone plays a role in protecting the guest experience. Now we’re relentless about allergy confirmations, double-checking tickets, and reviewing notes in lineup. Because the cost of miscommunication or lack of communication isn’t just a mistake, it’s trust. And that’s something we never want to lose. **How do you divide the responsibilities in your company? Can you give examples?** Bolun focuses on concept development, design, and strategic partnerships. I oversee operations, staffing, systems, guest experience, and day-to-day decision-making. For example, Bolun led the visual identity for our Pecking House collaboration this summer, while I handled execution, staffing, training, packaging, and timing behind the scenes. **What are the “5 Things You Do to Thrive As A Couple”? Please share a story or example for each.** - Communicate constantly, even the small things. - Make time to switch off “work mode” and just be partners. - Respect each other’s expertise. - Be honest and patient about limits and boundaries. - Celebrate wins, even tiny ones. **Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you share the responsibilities?** We’re working on our second fine dining restaurant. It’s ambitious and very personal. Bolun is leading creative direction and investor relations. I’m handling financial forecasting, and early-stage hiring and training systems. **What advice would you give to other couples who work together?** Work hard to separate the relationship from the role. When tensions run high, remember you are partners first and coworkers second. Be each other’s biggest champion, especially in the moments no one else sees. **None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person or couple who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?** There are so many people who’ve helped us get here — mentors, friends, family, our team — and we’re incredibly grateful for all of them. But the biggest support has always been each other. This journey hasn’t been easy, and we’ve faced more than a few late nights, hard conversations, and tough decisions. Having someone who truly understands the weight of it all, who shows up in the small moments and the big ones — that’s what makes it possible. We lean on a lot of people, but we hold each other up the most. **Is there any particular book or concept that helped you overcome a turning point in your marriage?** The idea of “non-overlapping responsibilities” from organizational psychology helped a lot, trusting the other person to own their lane fully. **Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quotes”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your lives?** “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe Opening Yingtao, we didn’t have the biggest budget or the most experienced team, but we had belief, grit, and a vision. That quote reminded us to move forward even when we didn’t have all the answers and learned from our mistakes along the way. **How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?** We’ve partnered with organizations like City Harvest and World Central Kitchen and used our restaurant platform to support disaster relief and community driven initiatives. At a smaller scale, we’ve mentored young hospitality professionals, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. **If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?** If we could inspire a movement, it would be one that redefines what luxury means, not just in hospitality, but across fashion, fine arts, and culture at large. We want to see a future where luxury isn’t just about price or exclusivity, but about care, cultural preservation, and meaningful connection. In hospitality, that means creating experiences that are thoughtful, rooted in heritage, and accessible, where great food brings people together instead of creating distance. The same applies to fashion and art: the most powerful expression isn’t always the most expensive, but to us the most intentional. We’re inspired by a new generation of creatives who are reclaiming their narratives, celebrating identity, and breaking down outdated definitions of taste. Whether it’s through a tasting menu, a garment, or a painting, we want to be part of a movement that makes people feel seen, especially young people who deserve to grow up in a world where culture is celebrated, not commodified. **We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)** Michelle Obama. Her blend of strength, grace, and leadership has always inspired us. We’d love to hear how she balances authenticity, influence, and personal mission, plus, we imagine she’d be an incredible dining companion. Bolun has met Mrs. Obama before, but it doesn’t hurt to meet her again! **Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.** --- A*bout the Interviewer: Nancy Landrum, MA, Relationship Coach, has authored eight*[books](https://nancylandrum.com/books/)*, including “How to Stay Married and Love it” and “Stepping Twogether: Building a Strong Stepfamily”. Nancy has been coaching couples and stepfamilies with transformative communication skills for over thirty years. Nancy is an engaging interviewer and powerful*[speaker](https://speakerhub.com/speaker/nancy-landrum)*. Nancy has contributed to The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Authority, Medium, Yahoo, MSN, Psych Central, Thrive, Woman’s Day magazine, and*[more](https://nancylandrum.com/press/)*. Nancy is the Founder of the only one of its kind online relationship solution,*[www.MillionaireMarriageClub.com](http://www.millionairemarriageclub.com/)*. Nancy*[coaches](https://nancylandrum.com/contact/)*couples across the globe in person and via*[Zoom](https://calendly.com/nancylandrum/complimentary-first-appointment?month=2024-05)*. Nancy’s passion is to guide couples and families to happy lasting marriages where children thrive and lovers love for life.* --- Source: https://authoritymag.co/articles/bolun-yao-and-linette-pham-the-boundary-setting-principle-that-keeps-a-michelin-starred-restaura (Authority Magazine, Business). Interviewee answers are first-person statements of the guest. Index of all pages: https://authoritymag.co/llms.txt