Nate Macaulay has back-up plans.

Though happily employed as chef de cuisine at Lukshon in Los Angeles, the 31-year-old chef is a former clarinetist with a music degree from the University of Oregon, and also has his pilot’s license--just in case.

After a culinary school externship that took him to Taipei, Taiwan, Macaulay returned to his native Los Angeles and took a job at The Tasting Kitchen in Venice, California. He later started working at Lukshon as a line cook, working his way up to sous chef, then chef de cuisine. Over time, he’s gained an appreciation of the Southeast Asian ingredients that are used liberally in the Lukshon kitchen. For Sous Chef Series he prepared a Mediterranean classic, chicken under a brick. Its nuanced sauce has sweet, salty, spicy and sweet elements--much like the best Southeast Asian dishes.

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