#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Jenny Dorsey

Jenny Dorsey of Studio ATAO

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

Shanghai, China is where I was born; I grew up in Seattle, WA.

What does home taste like?

Sweet & sour pork ribs (tang chu xiao pai).

Share a food memory:

One of my favorites is definitely introducing my (now) husband to Xi'An Famous Foods in NYC and just watching the guy LIGHT UP.

The most underrated Chinese ingredient:

Shaoxing wine, pickled mustard greens.

Who’s your Chinese food legend?

This is a tough question because I didn't really know about Cecilia and Ming, going to a very French-based culinary school. I learned about them very much after-the-fact, which is really sad. Even these days, we just don't get great coverage on Chinese food. Recently, I've been watching Chinese Restaurant (the Chinese show) and that's been great.

Dream dinner party guests:

Michelle Obama! I also have been really enjoying the writing of Prof. Angie Baecker so it'd be cool to cook for her too.

The secret to Chinese cooking is:

I think with all cooking, it is about adapting to what you have, how you're feeling that day, what purpose the food you're making is meant to serve, and being able to express that adequately.

Last meal on earth:

Juicy soup dumplings.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

What does Chinese food mean to you? It's about learning the many, many layers of expression (cultural expression from the different ethnicities found in China, regional expression of how the climate/soils/weather intersect, horticultural expression of how humans have shaped and reshaped plants, historical interactions between different people and ideas in a region, etc.) that are, amazingly, distilled into a great variety of foods.