Ming Tsai

Ming's love of cooking was forged in his early years. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, he spent hours cooking alongside his mother and father at Mandarin Kitchen, the family-owned restaurant. His experience taught him about restaurant operations and most importantly, the art of making customers happy through food. In high school, Ming headed east to attend school at Phillips Academy Andover. From there, Ming continued to Yale University earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time, Ming spent his summers attending Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and apprenticing at area restaurants in Paris. After graduating from Yale, Ming moved to Paris and trained under renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme and then on to Osaka with Sushi Master Kobayashi. Upon his return to the United States, Ming enrolled in graduate school at Cornell University, earning a Master's Degree in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing. Ming is the host and executive producer of the public television cooking show, Simply Ming. In 2009, Simply Ming received two Emmy nominations for "Outstanding Culinary Program" and "Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host", and received two Bronze Telly Awards in the categories of "Lighting" and "Art Direction". Ming began cooking for television audiences on the Food Network, where he was the 1998 Emmy Award-Winning host of East Meets West with Ming Tsai. Ming's Quest, his popular cooking adventure series, also aired on Food Network. In the summer of 2008, Ming traveled to the Beijing Olympics with NBC's Today Show to provide viewers with insight into food customs and traditions that define his Chinese heritage. In addition to television, Ming is the author of five cookbooks: Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai, Simply Ming, Ming's Master Recipes, Simply Ming One-Pot Meals, and Simply Ming In Your Kitchen.