At the age of eight, Chef Jae Lee and his family immigrated from Seoul, South Korea to New York City on a travel visa, pursuing the American dream. Chef Jae landed in Queens where in 2007, at the age of 18, he began his culinary career. Starting at an East Village ramen shop, he quickly fell in love with the high-energy, fast-paced environment.

Over the next few years, Lee dedicated himself to working in a variety of esteemed restaurants, eventually landing the Executive Chef role at Momosan Ramen & Sake and later, Hotel 50 Bowery. At 30 years of age, encouraged by his then-girlfriend, now wife, left his job to pursue apop-up venture that celebrated his Korean-American heritage. In early 2019, Chef Jae launched his pop-up series, ‘Him’, which means "strength" in Korean. His six-month residency at a small East Village bar Black Emperor, quickly gained attention, with Gothamist praising his burger as "one of the best burgers in NYC." This success enabled him to establish his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Nowon, in the East Village.

The success of the original East Village location led to the opening of a second, larger venue in Bushwick in July 2023, where Chef Jae introduced Korean-inspired wood-fired pizzas. Nowon continues to thrive, with plans to expand further, including a new location in Boston in 2025.