Meet Amy Lebrun | Culinary Director & Executive Chef of Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Lebrun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was raised in Huntington Beach. As a kid I loved eating new foods and finding great restaurants. Orange County is so big, far beyond Huntington Beach, and you have all of these areas with different cultures.

Growing up I would go to my Chinese friend’s house and eat. I had Hungarian and Armenian neighbors. I would at like 3 dinners a night sometimes. I went from house to house and kept eating. I loved food. It’s true. There’s no graceful way to say it, ha, but it molded who I am today.

When I was a bit older, coming out of culinary school in Orange County, it was really important that I chose 1 of the top 5 places to work, where I could learn. I felt that was the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point.

Now, as a chef, I’m interested in different cultures and cuisines because you can never learn enough. There’s always more to know, and I’ll never know everything. But I’m always excited to learn more, eat more, and educate those in my orbit.

As I came to run my own kitchens over the years, Orange County has taken an even more important role in my life. This area is rich in resources for chefs. I’m proud of that and I want to support our local farmers and makers. We have a great community here, an underrated community.

Orange County is my home, but also my culinary playground.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work ethic, my standards and my experience set me apart from others. Over the 25 years I’ve worked in the culinary industry, I’ve gone from pantry cook making salads and desserts to Culinary Director—running 3 kitchens while creating seasonal menus, brunch, specials, Chef’s Table dinners, my own products and more.

I am proud of my willingness to never give up. My relentless hunger to keep learning and not be complacent. There are a lot of people who give up and you never hear from them again. This is a hard industry to continually reinvent yourself in, especially starting from the bottom. But I keep going. I keep striving. I’m a bad mamma jamma.

Getting here wasn’t easy. If it was, it would have been boring! This is a head game. You have to find your strength, you have to motivate yourself. No one will do that for you. Throw in the power of music and dancing in the kitchen … it’s super helpful!

I’ve learned along the way to build strong relationships. To respect yourself. And to respect your team. Most importantly, if you wouldn’t serve it to your mom, don’t serve it to your customers. Make sure every plate is good enough for your family!

What I really want people to know most about my brand and my story is that I’m still in the beginning of truly building both. Stay tuned for a lot more!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m a chef, this is going to be centered around food. There are so many great places in Orange County, places people don’t know because they may think there aren’t many reasons to come here.

Definitely on my list of go-to stops and items would be: Blueberry Coconut Pecan Cookies at Paderia in Fountain Valley or Irvine; Brassicas & Red Curry at Fermentation Farm in Costa Mesa; Cocktails at La Cave in Costa Mesa; snacks and yakitori at Kappa Honda in Fountain Valley; the farm tour at The Ecology Center in Costa Mesa; Sourdough Brioche from Rye Goods in Newport Beach.

That’s a lot of delicious things to eat and drink over several days here!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Shoutout goes to Dr. Yasmine Mason, founder of Fermentation Farm—a fermentation kitchen, shop and restaurant in Costa Mesa. We met 6 years ago when I found her shop randomly while I was out for a walk in my neighborhood.

She started educating me about health and wellness through food and I took it as an opportunity to teach my own family. This is something that has become a focal point of my cooking.

We stayed in contact and became friends over the years. When the chance arose to join Fermentation Farm as Culinary Director & Executive Chef I took it because it was the perfect opportunity for both of us.

Website: www.fermfarm.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/chefamylebrun

Image Credits
Photos by Knife & Spork Public Relations