You found us! We are a family of four (Bill & Judy, and daughters Sarah & Kaitlin), and The Woks of Life is our way of sharing our recipes & travels with each other and the world.
What began in 2013 as a quest to document our family’s history through food has become a robust online community. Since then, our blog has been recognized as the online authority on Chinese cooking.
Whether you’re:
- A food lover interested in going beyond Cream Cheese Wontons and Sesame Chicken…
- A college student with a drawer full of wrinkled take-out menus and only rudimentary knowledge of how to boil an egg…
- Or just someone looking to make weeknight dinners a little more interesting…
You’ve come to the right place!
Allow us to quickly introduce ourselves:
- Judy (the family matriarch) regularly scours Chinese cookbooks for new ideas and wants to keep traditional recipes alive for new generations of home cooks.
- Bill (the patriarch) grew up working and cooking in restaurants, including years of experience at his own parents’ Chinese takeout joint, which is why you can be sure our American Chinese takeout recipes are legit!
- Sarah and Kaitlin are millennials living in New York, who grew up cooking from a young age, learning from grandparents, their very cool parents, and of course, food TV.
Judy
Bill
Sarah
Kaitlin
The fact that we all cook can admittedly lead to the odd kitchen squabble* (scroll down for embarrassing illustration of said phenomenon). But we bond over and overanalyze our food, think about what to make for dinner before lunch is over, and are relentless about perfecting our favorite dishes.
The Beginnings of The Woks of Life
The Woks of Life was born in 2013, when half of our group (the parental half) relocated to Beijing. Kaitlin was in college stateside, and Sarah began moving between both China and the U.S. whilst figuring out the meaning of post-college life.
Between all the plane rides and intermittent Skype conversations, it became difficult to stay up-to-date on all our day-to-day comings and goings, let alone what we were each preparing for dinner.
We also realized that the kid-parent separation led to said kids eating a lot less of the Chinese food normally served up by said parents.
Because let’s face it…though the two daughters of this family could make restaurant-quality thin crust pizza like nobody’s business, they hadn’t exactly been studying up on dishes usually left to the older generation.
Our solution? This website and blog, where we could share recipes, kitchen exploits, and travels.
We’ve kept it going ever since, even now that we’re all back in the U.S. Our recipes represent our own culinary genealogy, from the simple to complex, the traditional to the reinvented.
So take a look around. Pour a beverage and find tonight’s meal. Pick up some travel tips, wok shopping advice, or an explanation of what the heck Chinese black vinegar is.
(It’s the nectar of the gods, is what it is.)
Happy Wokking!
Want to know more? Check out our bios here:
The Woks of Life Family Bios
Bill: Dad/Husband
Grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. Rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family’s Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents. Specializes in all things Cantonese and American Chinese takeout.
Judy: Mom/Wife
Born in Shanghai, and arrived in the U.S. at age 16. Pretty much a boss when it comes to languages, being fluent in both English and three separate Chinese dialects. And boy, can she fold a spring roll (the rest of ours tend to just fall apart. It’s sad). Plus, she’s the only one in the family who’s actually good at reading Chinese, so she’s our professional menu-translator when we’re eating our way through China.
Sarah: Daughter/Older Sister
Born and raised in the Garden State, growing up on episodes of Ready Set Cook and Iron Chef. Writer, photographer, marketing professional, and daydreamer, with a penchant for Quick and Easy recipes that take less than 20 minutes to make. Like the rest of the family, she loves the outdoors and writing delightfully detailed posts about the Art of Cooking Outside.
Kaitlin: Daughter/Younger Sister
Notoriously unable to follow a recipe (usually preferring to freestyle it), Kaitlin’s the family artist, chunky-sweater-obsessed knitter, and keeper of an unreasonably detailed knowledge bank of Korean pop music. The master of all things sauces and condiments on the blog (her chili oil is legendary) and steward of our drool-worthy Instagram account.
We were recently featured on Season 4, Episode 6 of Lucky Chow on PBS. Watch below!
*An example, just for illustrative purposes. We’re not like this all the time. We swear.
B: “They’re burning!! The heat is WAY too high.”
K: “They’re not burning.”
B: “Who taught you how to a flip a pancake anyway?”
K: “You did.”
B: “Not like that, I didn’t.”
K: “These will be the fluffiest pancakes you’ve ever had in your life. Now go set the table and get some slippers, ‘cause yo socks are about to be knocked OFF.”
J: *wildly gesticulating toward pan* “Hey! Shouldn’t you really be flipping that one now?”
S: “Did you remember to add the lemon zest? The lemon zest is key!”
(Not a dramatization.)
Photo credit: Sarah Yeoman
I used your technique for cashew chicken tonight and it was excellent! (shared on stories). Growing up I didn’t have much interest in cooking, plus the few times I tried to learn my grandma and mom would shoo me out of the kitchen to get out of their way! When I watch your videos and my parents cook I’m in awe of how quickly you guys do it but it took me a long time since there are a few things to multitask with marinating, making sauce, blanching etc. It was well worth the effort though and I know with time and practice I’ll get better. I used to live three blocks from my parents but last year we moved due to the pandemic and cooking Chinese food makes me feel closer to them. Thank you for such a great blog and resource! Also love how cute your family is!
Thank you for sharing your story, Jen! I think it can definitely be a challenge to figure out all the multitasking that can happen in the kitchen, but you’re right that with practice, you’ll only get better! So happy these recipes can help you feel closer to your parents during this time. Fingers crossed everything is back to normal soon!
I found you all when I looked up a recipe, Pad Kee Mao. Your stories are very interesting and compelling for several reasons. The first being, you all love cooking food. Second, the title of the blog is unique and catchy. Finally, I respect your serious involvement in the food industry and I will follow and try your recipes. I am in LA and retired. I have been taking Chinese cooking classes as well as other cooking classes and I hope to learn from you all while I cook and enjoy the foods prepared. My biggest audience will be my kids and grandkids. If they give me a thumbs up, then I will have succeeded with your able help. Thank you.
Hi Virgil, thanks so much for sharing your comment. I’m sure your kids and grandchildren will love your cooking! Let us know in the comments if we can be of help for any recipe ;-)
Hi Bill, I look forward to cooking the recipes you have all developed. I”ll let you know when I do cook dishes as I go. By the way, I an interested in doing dim sum dishes. Maybe you can share with me your recipes and other resources you use. thank you
Thank you for all the recipes! Everything is explained so clearly, and I can follow the recipes seamlessly. I am an US expat living in Hong Kong, and I’m dating a local Hong Konger who does not know how to cook, haha. Instead of only cooking my American family recipes, this blog has introduced me to HOW to cook Chinese cuisines which has put a smile on my partner’s face every time I cook it. Yum!
Hi Stephanie, that is awesome! Keep up the great cooking!