Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is a chef. She is the author of eleven cookbooks on Chinese cuisine.

Biography

Childhood

Lo was born in Sun Tak,^[1] a suburb of Canton, China. At the age of five, she began to cook which was encouraged by her parents, particularly her mother who believed that “children should know how to everything”, and a father who had traveled widely and was familiar with foreign cuisines. Early influences also included her grandmother who instilled in her the techniques and culture of cooking while she was still a child.

The Chinese Revolution

In 1950, Lo fled the Chinese Revolution to live with relatives in Hong Kong. While there she learned English and further enhanced her knowledge of cooking by researching cuisines from all of the regions of China and taking lessons from an aunt who was herself a highly accomplished cook.

The United States

In 1959, Lo married and moved to the United States. Increasingly, she was urged by friends to teach Chinese cookery which she began to do in the early 1970s. For many years she taught in her home, from beginners to master classes. In 1976 she was invited to join the cooking and nutrition staff of the China Institute in New York City and taught there for more than twenty years. She has also taught Chinese Cookery at The New School University in New York City.

Published Cookbooks

Ms. Lo is the author of ten books on Chinese food:

• Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
• The Dim Sum Book: Classic Recipes from the Chinese Teahouse
• The Chinese Banquet Cookbook
• Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s New Cantonese Cooking
• From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking
• The Dim Sum Dumpling Book
• The Chinese Way: Healthy Low-Fat Cooking from China’s Regions
• The Chinese Kitchen
• The Chinese Chicken Cookbook
• My Grandmother’s Chinese Kitchen^[2]

And has co-authored:

• China’s Food (A photographic study and survey of great Chinese regional cooking)

Awards

• Mastering The Art of Chinese Cooking was a winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Julia Child Award and nominated for The James Beard Award
• The Chinese Banquet Book Cookbook was an IACP Julia Child Award Winner
• The Dim Sum Book was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Award
• From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Award and The James Beard Award

Honors

• Silver Spoon Award - Food Arts Magazine (New York, 2007)
• Lifetime Achievement Award - La Celebration Culinaire Internationale (Washington D.C., 2001)
• Lifetime Achievement Award - New World Festival of Food and Wine (Singapore, China 1998)
• James Beard House Dinner - 'Little Dishes East and West' (New York, 1998)
• James Beard Awards – One of a group of chefs to cook for the James Beard Awards 10th Anniversary Gala (New York, 1996)

Organizations

Ms. Lo has been associated with the following organizations over her career:

• Food Arts (New York), Asian food authority
• Les Dames d’Escoffier (New York), Member
• China Institute (New York), Cooking Instructor
• New School Culinary Arts (New York), Cooking Instructor

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Lo has written on both food and restaurants for:

• The New York Times
• The New York Times Magazine
• Gourmet Magazine
• Food & Wine
• Travel & Leisure
• Food Arts (Master Class article contributor)

Media Appearances / Cooking Demonstrations

• Martha Stewart Living (syndicated)
• The Early Show (CBS)^[2]
• Good Morning America (ABC)
• Today in New York (WNBC)
• Fox and Family (FOX)
• Food Network
• Various regional U.S. programs from coast to coast.
• International programming in Singapore, England, Italy, Finland, Canada and New Zealand.

References