Lucas hails from Southern California and at an early age had a passion for hospitality and a work ethic that was unparalleled. After graduating high school, Lucas made his way to San Francisco looking to broaden his experience. After working as a server around the city, he landed his career changing role at Stones Throw, Hi Neighbor Group's first endeavor. Here he not only took ownership of his serving role, quickly becoming one of the strongest team members, but also began a deep dive into what has become one of his biggest passions, wine. Quickly becoming a certified Sommelier, Lucas continued to grow and expand his reach within Hi Neighbor Group, ultimately becoming the Wine Director at the Vault. Throughout his journey within the group, he quickly mastered all elements of management, holding nearly every role within the company until ultimately taking on the role of Director of Operations. 

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In his current role, Lucas oversees all operational elements of the company. With his exceptional service and hospitality skills, immense product knowledge, and technical prowess regarding all things restaurant, Lucas continues to grow, mentor, and influence each of the concepts in a unique way. 

Lee Ann comes to us from the former Hayes Valley neighborhood staple, Dobbs Ferry, recently shuttered due to Covid 19, which she owned with her husband Steve. She started her career at various sports bars and restaurants in NYC, bartending, serving and managing for almost 10 years before moving to San Francisco in 2014 where she spent and 5 years managing the fine dining, popular waterfront restaurant, Waterbar. She has been instrumental in upholding standards of service and creating memorable guest experiences, as well as developing hiring practices and training methods for all departments of front of house. She brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of the restaurant business from guest relations to human resources, and extensive food and beverage knowledge.

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Lee Ann grew up in Stamford, Connecticut for her early childhood then moved to Danville, California. She is also a business school graduate of Indiana University.  Aside from working in restaurants, Lee Ann has done more than a dozen triathlons, enjoys hanging with her family and friends, and maintains a chalk art business that she does artwork for local restaurants and families.

Jianwei joins us from Singapore where he most recently was the General Manager and wine buyer at Meta Restaurant, a 1-star Michelin restaurant that garnered a spot on the World Best 50 Restaurant and Asia Best 50 Restaurant.

Prior to that, he was a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. Jianwei has also spent years in the bay area working with luxurious fine dining restaurants Quince, Atelier Crenn, Michael Mina and Avery. To round off his hospitality experience – Jianwei worked at Tartine Manufactory where he picked up valuable lessons on all day dining and coordinating multiple teams across different departments.

At Hi Neighbor Group, Jianwei takes part in the daily operations of the different restaurants which includes training of managers and team members, ensuring that every guests and team members are always taken care of.

comes from a restaurant family background. His father managed and owned multiple restaurants, where AJ gained exposure and hands-on experience. Having been in the industry for over 18 years, he found himself in every role of the FOH- serving, banquet catering, and bartending. He later went on to manage restaurants in the East Bay, as well as starting his own catering company.

His first venture out in SF landed him in the hands of the Hi Neighbor Group, where he became the Assistant Manager at Corridor and later the General Manager at The Vault Garden and The Vault Steakhouse. 5 years in, AJ has continued to grow within Hi Neighbor and has lent his experience to the corporate manager role to help oversee the multiple outlets within the hospitality group.

Steve has been working in restaurants for nearly forty years and began his career as a bartender at a dockside restaurant in Guilford, Connecticut. In 1994, he made his way to California, where I tended bar by night and skied by day  — yes, it was awesome and finally settled in the Bay Area to pursue a degree in philosophy at UC Berkeley. During this time, he landed a bartending job at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco.

Over the next 11 years, he transitioned from bartender to sommelier and moved into the beverage director role at One Market Restaurant. In 2007, he was selected to open Waterbar and Epic Steak as their opening beverage director and sommelier, building the beverage program from the ground up to earn Waterbar a spot in Wine Spectator’s ‘Best of Award of Excellence’ under his stewardship.

In the Autumn of 2021, Steve joined the Hi Neighbor Hospitality Team, overseeing beverage operations across our portfolio of restaurants. He regularly participates as a judge for several prominent wine and spirits competitions and travels extensively, having visited most of the world’s wine-producing countries and regions in North and South America, Western Europe, Africa, and Oceania. Steve holds the Court of Master Sommelier’s ‘Certified’ level credential and the Wine & Spirits Education Trust’s top credential, the ‘Level 4 Diploma in Wines.’

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Lang Pierce graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and started working in San Francisco with some of the city's best chefs. Working under Adam Sobel and Michael Rafidi at Michael Mina’s RN74, he developed a strong base in French technique and California cuisine. 

After spending a few years working in various cooking sectors, from corporate catering to large-scale events, he returned to restaurants working with Chef Erik Hopfinger and eventually joined Hi Neighbor in 2022. Lang has a soft spot for the nostalgic foods of his childhood and loves reinventing them with the fantastic bounty of seasonal local ingredients that living in California has to offer.

Chef Andre Hall is a seasoned culinary artist with a two-decade legacy in California's gastronomic scene. Originating in San Diego, Chef Hall's culinary passion was nurtured under the guidance of his grandmother and influential women in the industry.

During a transformative decade in the Bay Area, Chef Andre collaborated with culinary luminaries such as Thom Fox of Public House, Marc Zimmerman of Alexanders, Gozu and Yokia, and Rodney Wages of Avery. Under their mentorship, he honed his culinary skills and embraced a profound appreciation for California's abundant agricultural offerings. His commitment to sustainable, farm-to-table practices and advocacy for service members, vendors, and culinary professionals has become a cornerstone of Chef Hall's corporate culinary philosophy.

As Corporate Sous Chef with High Neighbor Hospitality Group, Chef Hall brings his passion for flavor-focused cuisine and dedication to creating a vibrant and welcoming dining experience — shaping menus and guiding chefs across our diverse dining properties.