Kathy Fang
As a celebrity Chef and restauranteur, mother of two, and star of the new Food Network Docuseries “Chef Dynasty: House of Fang,” Kathy Fang is a powerhouse in the culinary world.
Fang is a first generation Asian American who grew up in the kitchen of her family’s restaurant, House of Nanking, an iconic dining institution in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown. It’s at this famous hole-in-the-wall that Fang first discovered her own passion for cooking. From cleaning up and bussing tables to serving food, learning how to interact with customers and everything in-between, food has always been integral to Fang and her family.
With her experiences from House of Nanking, Fang began to combine her family’s Cantonese heritage and cooking style with her own inspiration that grew from her native San Franciscan perspective, her global travels, as well as her formal training at the esteemed Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School.
That said, she didn’t plan on being a chef or restauranteur, instead choosing to work at corporate jobs that included stints at Merrill Lynch and Neutrogena after studying business at the University of Southern California. But after her aha moment, which involved a goodie bag of defective products, she realized that she was not fulfilled. It was then that she decided to pursue what she loved: cooking and entertaining.
“The aha moment for me was when I realized the only thing I was excited about in my past job at Neutrogena were the goodie bags they distributed once a month,” recalls Fang. “These were defective products they couldn’t stock in stores to sell but were perfectly fine for use. I knew I had to quit and make a career change because it was incredibly bored and stifled. That’s when I knew to move back to SF and get back into food, the one thing I was always passionate about.”
FANG Restaurant
On “Chef Dynasty: House of Fang,” viewers get an intimate look at the relationship and dynamics between herself and her traditional father and business partner as she sets out for “Chinese cuisine world domination.” While seeking to modernize her family restaurant business and challenge the common stereotypes of Chinese food, she also strives to honor the family traditions she was raised with.
To date Fang has an impressive TV resume, having appeared on a number of Food Network shows including “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” and “Guy’s Grocery Games,”. Not to mention, she’s a two-time “CHOPPED” champion. Moreover, she’s a returning guest on NBC’s TODAY Show and has been a guest judge on Alex vs America in 2022. During the pandemic, and as a way to bring Asian cooking into the home kitchen, Fang published Easy Asian cookbook and started selling her restaurants’ famous hot sauces.
In addition to co-owning House of Nanking, she is also co-owner of high end Chinese restaurant Fang in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood with her father Peter Fang, who founded House of Nanking in 1988. And unlike many celebrity chefs, you can find her at any given evening at Fang doing what she loves the most: honoring her family’s legacy and tradition in the San Francisco culinary scene by serving incredible, authentic Chinese cuisine.
Most recently, Hotel Zelos, the boutique, high-design hotel located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, debuted the ‘Suite Escape’ package in partnership with Fang, which includes luxury accommodations and a meal curated personally by the celebrity chef at her modern Cantonese restaurant, Fang.
Kathy Fang
We chatted with Kathy Fang, co-owner of House of Nanking and Fang, celebrity chef and star of Food Network’s, “Chef Dynasty: House of Fang,” on her heritage, inspiration, challenges and more. Here’s what she had to say.
How has your Asian-American heritage informed your love of food?
My Asian American heritage has completely shaped the type of chef I am and the love I have for food. Most of my most memorable experiences growing up has been around food, whether it's around family dinners at home with all my relatives or when we travel to Asia and explore all the incredible food it has to offer, and even to the simplest meals I share with my Dad in Chinatown San Francisco, during our breaks from work. My perspective on food, flavor profiles and textures have developed over time from my life long experiences with Chinese Cuisine and it affects the way I perceive, cook and taste food.
What challenges have you faced as an Asian-American female chef and restauranteur and how have those challenges made you stronger?
I feel like the first part of my career, it was all about proving myself as an accomplished chef who can out-cook anyone and run a successful business in one of the hardest cities to do it in. A lot of times, my successes didn't even matter because of the way I looked being female, petite, Asian... all the things that didn't really fit the mold of a successful chef/entrepreneur 20 years ago.
I don't have tats, I'm not white, I'm not overweight and I never worked in any Michelin-starred restaurants. But over time, these preconceived notions of what a chef should be like or look like has faded and it's made me a lot stronger. I've had to push harder and develop a thicker skin to withstand the biases. I'm not upset by it at all, I feel like it's helped me grow as a chef and business person.
What inspires your dishes at FANG?
My travels around the world inspires my dishes, my experiences with incredible food experiences from my youth inspires my dishes. Inspiration comes and goes, and it can come from different places, so it's always good to keep an open mind.
How is the food and dining experience different at FANG and House of Nanking?
Fang is much larger than House of Nanking and should be seen as an extension of our home. House of Nanking is very much hole in the wall — fast, delicious and no frills. It's a not place you go to kick back and relax for a meal. Fang however, is a place you can go and hang out at.
Sweet and Sour Shrimp
It has a very lively loud atmosphere, food is family style, it feels like a nice home, where you can kick back and just have a good time, eat and don't be shy. We also host events that are more elegant for company parties. It's got a more modern element to it, that elevates the dining experience for people but not to the point where it feels stuffy or contrived.
What advice would you give the next generation of Asian-Americans?
Be in touch with your culture, heritage and roots. Make an effort to preserve and celebrate your traditions as over time they can easily be diluted. A lot of how we identity ourselves and find purpose is tied to who we think we are and the person we wan't to become.
Being able to pull from American culture and values, mixing it with your own Asian culture and values creates opportunity for a life that's lived with more color and complexities, one that is rich and positive in more ways you can imagine. Cherish your culture and your roots, bring it to surface, be proud of it, and pass it down to future generations.
