Pancake portrait by Steve Hedberg
My ideal breakfast is a green pepper omelet, a bowl of oatmeal porridge, and my “made-in-house” Sichuan sausage.
What I love about Richmond is every time I open a new location, or I try a new/hotter (spicier) dish, they DARE to eat, they CAN eat and they know HOW to eat my food.
When someone visits me I always like to bring them to places there are mountains and rivers, have a picnic outdoors with good wine and great company — nothing makes me happier than that.
If you’re having me over for dinner I will ask whoever is inviting me to cook something new, or bring me to a restaurant that I’ve never been. I like to learn from others.
I never get tired of listening to fast-tempo songs. Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” once was my favorite song, maybe because my tempo of life is very fast.
When I need to relax I ski in the mountains or swim in the sea.
My biggest pet peeve is using the best ingredients, but yet [not being able to] make a good dish.
If my friends had to use one word to describe me, it would be energetic.
The book I’m reading now is “Tao Te Ching” from Lao Tzu.
I can’t live without: In China we have a saying, “Live for love and love for food.” So I can’t live without my wife, Lisa Chang, and good food.
When I was growing up I wanted to be a historian.
In five years, I hope I will be able to introduce more Chinese chefs to Americans. In China, chefs are [under-recognized] with respect to delicious food they make.
The best day of my life was Aug. 28, 1981. I came from a poor countryside. To me and my family, the main preoccupation at that time was getting enough to eat. But on that day, I got admitted to the culinary school. I saw the big city for the first time in my life. I had enough to eat. And most important, I started the career I still love after 35 years.
The worst work situation I had was I didn’t expect many people to come to one of my restaurants for the opening day. But it turns out we [had a] full house with a long waiting list, and I didn’t prepare enough ingredients.
When I need to relax, I ski in the mountains or swim in the sea.
One thing I wish I could change about myself is [to be] less irritable, more patient.
In 2017, I want to try many new ideas in my new Bethesda restaurant, Q, including cooking classes. I want to introduce the true Chinese cuisine through cooking. China borders 15 countries, and the food there varies massively from region to region. Chinese food isn’t just about orange chicken and black bean sauces; it can be very surprising in a good way.
Flip to the Back is the monthly back-page feature in Richmond magazine's print edition, where we interview intriguing Richmonders and capture their likeness via pancake portrait. Because ... why not?
