A native of Greenville, South Carolina, celebrated Chef James Wozniuk grew up surrounded by food enthusiasts. At a young age, he was subjected to many different cuisines- Thai, Japanese, Korean, Tex-Mex, German, etc. and he and his family would frequent restaurants each week. Excellent self-taught home cooks, his mother and grandmother would prepare epic feasts for the family- and thus his love for all things culinary began.

Moving to Canada as a young twenty-year old, he decided to enroll in culinary school, and felt that by learning to cook he could use it as a tool to travel the world. It was at that moment that he dedicated his craft to making Asian food.

When he began his start in Washington, D.C., there wasn’t a big market of Asian restaurants looking for an inexperienced western cook, so he took the French route. He used this time to hone his skills and grow as a young cook, working at noted establishments such as Lyon Hall and Marcel’s. He dove into Asian cookery starting at Toki Underground, then opened Maketto and Spoken English as the Chef de Cuisine - and under his tenure both received Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand.

In the District, he met Chef Seng Luangrath of nationally acclaimed Thip Khao, who would become his mentor. The pair traveled to Malaysia in February 2020, which inspired the opening menu at his new restaurant Makan.

The focal point of Malaysian cooking is his desire to faithfully feature the flavors, textures and history of the dynamic cuisine. The menu is a recreation of dishes that he experienced during his travels throughout Malaysia, with a devout desire to never cook fusion food or water down any dishes for the western palate, hence one of his favorite phrases, “86 palate fatigue.”

Loving the sense of community that this family-style cuisine creates, guests are encouraged to order several plates for sharing and build their own adventures. Tender Beef Rendang, crunchy wok-fried vegetables, spicy shrimp, funky Petai beans, and sambal all enjoyed with rice are an homage to Cue Nasi Campur… meaning “mixed rice,” a style of Malaysian dining where guests are greeted with a large plate of rice, followed by a buffet of 15-68 dishes.

His favorite dish on the menu is Ikan Asam Pedas- a Skate Wing poached in a sour spicy broth with galangal, turmeric, lime leaf, belacan, cili padi and is simmered with okra + tomato. When cooking at home, Bun Cha Hanoi is his go to; though he's been known to eat a Shake Shack burger from time to time.