Ming Tsai started cooking at his family's Chinese restaurant as a teenager in Dayton, Ohio. A mechanical engineering degree from Yale proved to be merely a brief detour in a career that would lead him to Paris, where he studied at Cordon Bleu and worked at Fauchon and Natacha. It was at Natacha that he encountered East-West cuisine for the first time.
Back in the U.S., Ming returned to school and earned a master's in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing from Cornell University before working for several years in the hotel industry as food and beverage director at Hotel-Intercontinental Chicago.
In 1992, the kitchen lured Ming back and he arrived at Silks, an east-west restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco. There he assumed responsibilities as sous chef, working with Ken Hom. Subsequently Ming served as executive chef for Ginger Club, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif. He then moved on to Santa Fe as executive chef of Santacafe, where he was honored as best chef in Santa Fe and a 27 out of 30 rating in the Zagat Guide 1996.
Ming decided to move back east and establish his own three-star restaurant, Blue Ginger, in the Boston area. He chose Boston because "the restaurant scene is alive and healthy. In addition," he says, "there is a Chinatown, which not only means the availability of products, but also the opportunity to get a good bowl of noodles and dim sum." As well as being chef/owner of Blue Ginger, Ming oversaw all aspects of the design and construction of the restaurant. His minimalist design showcases an open kitchen with 40-foot, blue pearl granite counter, Italian granite floors and a water sculpture. A feng shui master consulted on the design.
Ming also has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, Saveur, Food Arts and Food & Wine. Esquire magazine hailed him as Chef of the Year 1998, and the James Beard Foundation has nominated Blue Ginger as Best New Restaurant in the country.
Ming has hosted several TV series, including Emmy Award-winning East Meets West with Ming Tsai and Ming's Quest.
For more information about Ming Tsai click here: http://www.ming.com/
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I am happy for your success Ming, I remember you was a F&B director IHC chicago and I was shock when I seen you on tv. good luck continues success
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills with us Ming. I've just joined this site (just a home cook who enjoys cooking for family and friends) and I'm linking with your Broths, vinaigrettes and dipping sauces. With these 'extras' always on hand one is sure to be able to create a meal regardless of what's in the fridge or cupboard.
ming is my hiro
I like that he has all his recipes on his web and can be printed and he explains everything as well
Ming can cook!
Love watching his show. Especially when he shares the cooking with his mum. What a great bond!!!
love ur cooking its amazing go for it good on you:)
what impresses me the most about him and the simply ming series is that he doesn't actually say i'm going to cook so and so ,but i'm going to show you how to make this syrup or concentrated flavouring that you can use in this dish or that dish.more insightful i believe
I really like Ming's versatility in turning some eastern dishes into international dishes for example his eastern tapenade with mussels.