Eileen Yin-Fei Lo facts for kids

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is a famous chef and writer. She has written eleven cookbooks about Chinese cooking.

Biography

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo was born in a place called Shun Tak, which is in Guangdong, China. When she was just five years old, she started to cook. Her parents really encouraged her. Her mother believed that "children should know how to do everything." Her father had traveled a lot and knew about many different foods. Her grandmother also taught her a lot about cooking and Chinese culture when she was young.

In 1950, Eileen had to leave China because of a big conflict called the Chinese Civil War. She moved to Hong Kong to live with her relatives. While there, she learned English. She also learned even more about cooking. She studied foods from all over China and took lessons from her aunt, who was a very good cook.

In 1959, Eileen got married and moved to the United States. Her friends often asked her to teach them Chinese cooking. So, in the early 1970s, she started giving cooking lessons. For many years, she taught classes in her home, from beginners to advanced students. In 1976, she was invited to teach at the China Institute in New York City. She taught there for over twenty years! She also taught Chinese cooking at The New School University in New York City.

Cookbooks and Awards

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo has written many popular cookbooks. Here are some of them:

• 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
• China’s Food, which she wrote with Lionel Tiger. This book looks at different Chinese regional foods with lots of photos.

Recognitions and Awards

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo has received many awards for her amazing work:

• Mastering The Art of Chinese Cooking won the Julia Child Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). It was also nominated for The James Beard Award.
• The Chinese Banquet Book Cookbook also won an IACP Julia Child Award.
• 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.

She has also received special honors:

• Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts magazine (New York, 2007).
• Lifetime Achievement Award from La Celebration Culinaire Internationale (Washington D.C., 2001).
• Lifetime Achievement Award from New World Festival of Food and Wine (Singapore, China 1998).
• She cooked for a special James Beard House Dinner called 'Little Dishes East and West' (New York, 1998).
• She was one of a group of chefs who cooked for the James Beard Awards 10th Anniversary Gala (New York, 1996).

Professional Connections

Eileen Lo has worked with many important organizations during her career:

• Food Arts (New York), where she was an expert on Asian food.
• Les Dames d’Escoffier (New York), where she was a member.
• China Institute (New York), where she was a cooking instructor.
• New School Culinary Arts (New York), where she was also a cooking instructor.

Writing and Media Appearances

Eileen Lo has written articles about food and restaurants for many well-known newspapers and magazines:

• The New York Times
• The New York Times Magazine
• Gourmet magazine
• Food & Wine
• Travel + Leisure
• Food Arts (she wrote master class articles for them).

She has also appeared on many TV shows and given cooking demonstrations:

• Martha Stewart Living
• The Early Show (CBS)
• Good Morning America (ABC)
• Today in New York (WNBC)
• Fox and Family (FOX)
• Food Network

She has also appeared on regional TV programs in the U.S. and on shows in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, Canada, and New Zealand.