Ken Hom OBE is a Chinese-American chef, author of many books and a television host who came to national fame with his 1982 BBC series Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery. He is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in authentic Chinese and Asian cooking. Among his many accolades, in 2009, Ken was awarded Officer of the Order in the British Empire for service to the Culinary Arts and honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Chopsticks event.
Chinese and British Food Stories
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This event took place on 17 April 2023
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Chinese and British Food Stories
Watch event again now
This event took place on 17 April 2023
Food is at the heart of the Chinese British experience. Arriving, or growing up with multiple food traditions, cooking was always a means to survive and to integrate and at a time in the 1980s, it was estimated that over ninety percent of Chinese British employment was in catering. Whether Cantonese, Sichuan or Zhejiang, and however much it has been adapted, ‘Chinese’ food is now the most popular cuisine in the UK, continuing to evolve and bring fresh discoveries.
At this event speakers from very different food backgrounds share their stories, and their passions for food, as part of this remarkable and sometimes challenging cultural and culinary journey. With Ken Hom, one of Britain’s best-known food broadcasters; Angela Hui, author of Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood Behind the Counter; restauranteur and writer Helen Tse and two-Michelin-starred chef Andrew Wong; all in conversation with School of Wok founder Jeremy Pang.
This event is broadcast live from the British Library as part of their 2023 Food Season. This event ties into our current exhibition Chinese and British, which you can visit at libraries across the UK. Find a list of participating locations here.