Jack Benchakul on Endorffeine, specialty coffee and the pursuit of enough

For years, specialty coffee has borrowed the language of fine dining. We speak about terroir, seasonality, provenance and craftsmanship. Yet, until recently, the wider culinary world rarely returned the compliment.

That changed in 2026. Jack Benchakul became the first career coffee professional recognised as a James Beard Award finalist in the beverage service category. Specialty coffee had finally earned a place alongside the world’s most respected culinary disciplines.

But awards alone don’t explain why Endorffeine has become one of the most influential coffee bars in America.

Hidden inside Los Angeles’ Chinatown, Endorffeine has just nine seats. There is no team of baristas. No flagship roastery. No retail empire. Since opening Endorffeine in 2015, Jack has personally brewed every espresso and every pour over the café has served. The shop has remained intentionally small, driven by the belief that craftsmanship scales differently from business.  

The consensus is that Endorffeine is all about precision, restraint, curiosity, water chemistry, Scandinavian-style roasting and Thai culinary influences. All of that is true. But underneath all of those ideas sits something much simpler. Jack is trying to become a better craftsman today than he was yesterday.

That philosophy shapes almost every decision he makes. The roasters he serves. The fact that he remains the café’s only barista. His resistance to expansion. While much of the coffee industry celebrates growth, Jack is pursuing something entirely different: depth.

What follows is a conversation that goes well beyond coffee. We spoke about finding purpose after leaving biotechnology. Discussed kaizen and the surprisingly liberating idea of having “enough”. Talked about Starbucks, and what it means to spend more than a decade quietly refining a craft.

For readers who may not know you, please introduce yourself and Endorffeine. What is the story of how a former biochemist ended up building one of America’s most respected coffee shops?

My name is Jack Benchakul. I am the sole barista, and co-owner of Endorffeine coffee bar, located in Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown neighborhood. I have personally crafted every single beverage there, since 2015, and that will never change. 

My first career was in biotechnology, when I worked as a biochemist, in pharmaceutical process development, for over 10 years.  Towards the end of my tenure in biotech, I began to fantasize about the hospitality industry, so I enrolled into a private culinary school in San Francisco. I continued to work at Genentech during the day, and took pastry-making courses in the evening. 

One day, during a stage at Miette Patisserie, I experienced my coffee epiphany – a cup of coffee that did not require the addition of cream (or sugar). That coffee was the genesis of the road towards Endorffeine.

Your path from biochemistry to pastry, and from pastry to coffee, isn’t an obvious one. What were you searching for through those transitions? Have you found it in Endorffeine, or are you still searching?

The transitions in between my careers feel quite organic to me. Some of the underlying principles in pastry are founded on chemistry and physics, so the flow from the laboratory to the kitchen felt quite natural. The application of baking knowledge to specialty coffee similarly felt seamless. 

Coffee is the confluence of craft + science.  I am comfortable with the science of coffee, but I will forever struggle with, and be fascinated by, the craft of coffee. This isn’t a search for something, but rather, it is a path of continuous improvement, or kaizen.

Endorffeine serves coffee from a carefully selected group of roasters. Including Sey, Drop, Ilse, Prolog, April and Leaves. What is it about those roasters that earned them a place on the bar? Many cafés eventually begin roasting their own coffee. What has kept you focused on showcasing other people’s work instead of producing your own?

The roasters with whom I work, all roast within a Scandinavian profile range. I want as little influence from the roastmaster as is possible. I want to taste the terroir of the coffee’s origin. As a barista, I am attempting to get out of the way of the seed. I am only interested in the purist expression of the coffee itself.

In order to be considered, it’s important that the selected roastmasters have been roasting consistently (at scale) for a minimum of 3 years. It takes some time to find one’s style, and 3 years appears to be the magic number. Coffee bag design may say as much about a roastmaster as their roasted product. Details of a roaster’s design philosophy is a final factor in determining inclusion at Endorffeine.

For now, I will leave roasting to the experts. As a student of coffee, I am still learning about brewing, and I have yet to reach a point where the brew process fails to fascinate (and frustrate) me…

Endorffeine has remained intentionally small for more than a decade. There are still only nine seats. You’re still the only barista. When David Chang asked why you’ve never pursued a larger business, perhaps one large enough to buy land and grow your own coffee, your response was simply: “I have enough.” I was a little taken aback by that answer. Most people, myself included, spend their lives chasing something. More money, recognition, success and certainty. I’m starting to suspect those aren’t actually the things I’m chasing but, more troublingly, I might never achieve whatever it is I’m looking for. So, from a personal point of view, I’m genuinely curious: what does “enough” mean to you? And how did you know when you’d reached it?

In 2001, I found peace in the realization that “having enough” meant the following:

• to be healthy and free from illness,
• to have at least one bff in my life, and
• to have access to this world’s greatest food and drink.

Once the aforementioned became known to me, I felt an inner calmness that I never experienced before, and the feeling has remained ever since.

In that same conversation, you explained that being the only barista at Endorffeine has never become boring because of the Japanese concept of kaizen. You spoke about being less interested in perfection and more interested in becoming a little better every day. Can you explain the concept of kaizen, what it means to you, and how you practise it in your work and your life? Is there a point where that pursuit ends? Or is it simply a life’s work?

Simply put, kaizen is a Japanese system of continuous improvement over time. Achieving perfection is impossible. But, the idea of perfection is a goal worth exploring, because the incremental improvements along the road towards it are valuable lessons in learning. I want to be a better person today than I was yesterday, and I want to be a better craftsman every time that I practice my craft – I owe it to myself, I owe it to my guests, and I owe it to my craft. The journey will end with death, and not a moment before.

There can sometimes be an assumption that better coffee automatically makes other coffee less valid. To make the opposite point, you compared coffee to cars, arguing that a Kia and a Lamborghini can both be enjoyable in different ways. That perspective surprised me because it challenged some of my own assumptions about how someone as uncompromising as you might think. Why do you believe there should be room for everything from Starbucks to the world’s best cafés?

Yes, the company car is a Kia. I love my car! We are all individuals, with differing opinions, tastes, and value systems. It isn’t important that everyone appreciates all aspects of everything. It is important, however, that one is able to discover at least one thing that they hold deep appreciation for. 

I am in no position to tell anyone how to value the coffee in their cup. There is no “best coffee.” There is only “coffee,” and all that entails. 

Endorffeine does not brew the “best” coffee; it is simply a singular expression of specialty coffee, viewed through the lens of one barista.

In 2026, you became the first coffee professional ever nominated for a James Beard Award. Why do you think it took 35 years for the James Beard Awards to recognise coffee?

As far as I can ascertain, I am the first career barista to earn a James Beard Award nomination. And technically speaking, I am the first coffee professional to be a JBA finalist. It is an overwhelming honor, and not one that I take lightly. 

Being seen by the James Beard Foundation is a long time coming for our industry. While many of our colleagues who work in Food + Beverage consume coffee – much of it is not specialty coffee – as it still plays the dependable, singular role of staff fuel. Only when the world’s most inspiring culinary minds show appreciation for specialty coffee, then our (coffee) colleagues will be able to share space on stage at celebrations like the James Beard Awards.

Endorffeine was designed to be a case study of a destination specialty coffee bar.  Validation of my approach to coffee was built on peer review – a process where experts in the same industry rigorously evaluate a body of work. By disregarding convention and allowing the coffee to be judged solely on its own merits, I hypothesized that Endorffeine could generate a strong base of support from within the food and beverage industry. It took 5 years to reach the goal, but we were budgeted for only 3 years of loss. We made it work anyway, because my cousin and I believed in the mission. 

Being the quietest person in the room doesn’t mean that you won’t be heard; it just means that you must remain headstrong in your beliefs, and know that you will be heard, but it will take time.

You’ve spoken about eventually retiring to Bangkok and opening a coffee shop exactly the way you want, with “no compromises.” What fascinates me about that is that Endorffeine already feels remarkably uncompromising. You’re still the only person making the coffee. The café remains intentionally small. You’ve kept the menu tightly focused. You’ve resisted expansion for more than a decade. What does that future coffee shop look like that Endorffeine doesn’t?

At this moment, Endorffeine Bangkok will be a reservations-only concept. Flavor inspiration will be informed by my combined experiences in the United States, as well as from my Thai upbringing. Everything (including food) will be prepared onsite by myself. Dine-in only. Every menu item will contain a coffee-related, and/or tea-related ingredient. I will pair every beverage with an edible component. I expect to host a number of collaborations with Thai colleagues, and with other international professionals. A variety of masterclasses will be available during non-operating hours.

One of the things that makes your James Beard nomination so interesting is that it arrived after more than a decade spent ignoring many conventional markers of success. No expansion, roasting company, product empire or any obvious attempt to build a larger brand. How does someone who’s spent so long avoiding those things process suddenly becoming famous for doing exactly that?

How do i process all of it? I drink a lot of whiskey. I’m half-kidding. 

Honestly, my current standing in the news cycle is probably the summation of over 11 years of dedication to the specialty coffee craft. Before the James Beard Foundation noticed me, Endorffeine was already playing its part in the global specialty coffee scene.  While I am personally proud of this recognition, it is actually more important to the relevancy of our industry that we continue to keep our heads down, and to drive forward together.

Jack Benchakul is not arguing that everyone should build a café like Endorffeine. He is arguing for something much harder. Know what matters to you. Remove what doesn’t. Then spend the rest of your life getting incrementally better at the things that remain.

The most striking moment in this conversation, for me anyway, has nothing to do with coffee. Asked what “enough” means, Jack answers with remarkable simplicity: good health, a close friend, and access to great food and drink. It is an answer that feels almost radical in an industry, and a world, that mistakes accumulation for fulfilment.

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Who is Jack Benchakul?

Jack Benchakul is a Thai-American coffee professional, former biochemist, and the co-owner and sole barista of Endorffeine in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. He is known for his meticulous approach to coffee brewing, his commitment to continuous improvement, and for becoming the first career coffee professional to be recognised as a finalist by the James Beard Foundation.

What makes Endorffeine different from other specialty coffee shops?

Endorffeine is intentionally small, with just nine seats and a single barista. Since opening Endorffeine in 2015, Jack Benchakul has personally brewed every espresso and pour over for every guest who has walked through the door. The café focuses on showcasing carefully selected coffees from respected international roasters rather than roasting its own coffee, placing the emphasis on brewing excellence and the pure expression of each coffee.

Why doesn’t Endorffeine roast its own coffee?

Jack believes roasting and brewing are separate crafts. Rather than dividing his attention, he prefers to showcase coffees from respected roasters such as Sey, Drop Coffee, Ilse, Prolog, April and Leaves Coffee Roasters. His goal is to present the purest possible expression of each coffee, with as little influence from the roast as possible, allowing the terroir and character of the coffee itself to take centre stage.

What is the Japanese concept of kaizen, and why is it important to Jack Benchakul?

Kaizen is the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement through small, incremental changes. Jack applies this principle to every aspect of his work and life, viewing perfection as unattainable but worth pursuing because the pursuit itself creates better craftsmanship, deeper understanding, and lifelong learning.

Why was Jack Benchakul’s James Beard recognition significant?

The James Beard Foundation named Jack the first career coffee professional to reach the finals in its beverage service category. His recognition marked an important milestone for specialty coffee, acknowledging coffee service alongside other respected culinary disciplines and highlighting the growing influence of specialty coffee within the wider food and beverage industry.

Where is Endorffeine located?

Endorffeine is located in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. Despite its modest size, it has become one of the most respected destination coffee bars in the United States and attracts visitors from around the world.

What can home baristas learn from Jack Benchakul?

The biggest lesson is that great coffee comes from thoughtful repetition rather than chasing perfection. Jack advocates continuous improvement, understanding the fundamentals of brewing, respecting the work of coffee producers and roasters, and refining technique over time instead of constantly seeking new equipment or trends.

Photography by IG/bigdudeindenim