About Ken

Born and raised in Hong Kong, I always knew that I loved to eat—but the full passion for all things culinary came later. My early cooking education came from observing what when on in our busy family kitchen for the daily traditional Chinese meals (everything fresh from the market that day) and then the special exotic dishes for banquets and Chinese New Year (abalone, “hairy” crab, etc.)

I didn’t start to cook and bake until college. Like most who are eager to eat something interesting but without much cooking experience, I dove in, picking out the recipes to try because the photos caught my attention. They also turned out to be very tough for a beginner. I’d invite brave friends for dinner, without any idea how to select dishes for a proper meal.

After college, I learned basic cooking techniques and got to know ingredients. I did take some advanced classes and continued to explore, but my career was in architecture not food, and I worked for eight years in architecture firms and then another ten years plus in residential interior design in New York. When I get to design a new kitchen for a client, I can happily combine my two passions.

Through practice and experimentation, I try to incorporate culinary surprises into daily life, whether trying a new herb from an ethnic market, adapting a recipe found online, or checking out a new restaurant. Why eat to survive? Survive to eat, I say. And then share the bounty with friends.

I can hardly contain my excitement when I talk about food, so I started this blog.