A Dream Built
From Curiosity
The Forager is a Los Angeles cocktail company built around thoughtful drinks, unexpected ingredients, and experiences worth remembering.
MEET THE FORAGER
Following curiosity wherever it leads.
The Forager began with a simple habit: finding inspiration everywhere. A flavor discovered over dinner. An ingredient tied to a childhood memory. A technique borrowed from the kitchen. A trip that changes the way something familiar tastes.
To forage is to search with intention. That same idea guides the way we approach cocktails — exploring ingredients, cultures, techniques, and stories, then bringing them together in ways that feel thoughtful rather than expected.
The result is a style of drinks rooted in flavor first: creative without being complicated for the sake of it, influenced by Asian food and culture without being confined by it, and always evolving as we discover something new.
James Wu
For years, I sat behind a corporate desk, chasing deadlines but never really finding fulfillment. It wasn’t until the world slowed down during COVID that I discovered a genuine passion for cocktails. What started as a hobby quickly became an obsession — studying ingredients, techniques, balance, and the reasons certain flavors work together. Eventually, that curiosity gave me the push to leave the corporate grind behind and see how far I could take it.
I grew up in a Taiwanese immigrant household in Los Angeles, surrounded by bold flavors, rich traditions, incredible food, and cultures from all over the world. I didn’t fully appreciate how much those experiences shaped me until much later. Today, they’re a constant source of inspiration for my work — from childhood flavors and ingredients to food, travel, and the unexpected things I discover along the way. I want the cocktails I create to feel thoughtful, tell a story, and sometimes introduce someone to a flavor they’ve never experienced before.
I still approach cocktails with the same curiosity that pulled me in from the beginning. I’m constantly learning, experimenting, testing ideas, and refining the details. Whether I’m behind the bar, developing a new menu, or creating something I’ve never tried before, the goal is always the same: make something delicious, memorable, and worth stopping for after that first sip.
There’s always something new to discover.
New ingredients, new places, new techniques, and new reasons to gather around a drink. We're excited to see where curiosity takes us next.