Wednesday, December 11 from 7-8:15 p.m. at Grosse Pointe Central Library (10 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236) Detroit area chef and content creator Jon Kung will discuss his unique style of third culture cooking that blends cultural traditions, flavors and ingredients from Hong Kong, Canada and the U.S.
His new book, Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third-Culture Kitchen: A Cookbook, is an exciting and unexpected collection of 100 recipes that re-examines Chinese American food.
This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available to purchase courtesy of Book Beat. Register online here. For more information, visit the Grosse Pointe Library website.
A DELISH BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
Jon Kung grew up as a “third-culture” kid: Born in Los Angeles, raised in Hong Kong and Toronto, and now living in Detroit, Jon learned to embrace his diasporic identity in the kitchen after pivoting his career from law school graduate to being a cook. When the pandemic shut down his immensely popular popup, he turned to social media—not just as a means of creative expression, but as a way to teach and inspire.
Over time, Jon discovered that expressing himself through food not only reflected his complicated identities, it affirmed them. From dumplings to the most decadent curried mac and cheese, Jon inspires millions through his creative recipes and content.
In Kung Food, he breaks the boundaries of flavors in chapters such as:
– Snacky Snacks, Bites, and Cravings (Sesame Shrimp Toast, Vegan Fried Chicken Sandwich)
– Noodles & Dumplings (Ginger Scallion Noodles, Buffalo Chicken Rangoon, Lamb Curry Dumplings)
– Rice & Congee (“Clay Pot” Rice Tahdig, Mushroom Fried Rice)
– Stir Fries (Szechuan Paneer, Faygo Orange Chicken)
– Kung Foo Means “with Effort” (Hong Kong Chicken and Waffles, Dan Dan Lasagna)
Through stunning, playful, and high-energy photos and Jon’s wit and humility, he brings forward a collection of recipes that blend cultural traditions, ingredients, and flavors with his ultimate goal of redefining what Chinese American food can be.
Jon Kung is the popular Chinese American chef, content creator and podcast host, who has amassed an online following of more than 2 million people for his unique style of third culture cooking, blending cultural traditions, flavors and ingredients that are meaningful and personal to him. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts and creative writing and earning a law degree from University of Detroit Mercy, Jon changed career paths to focus on cooking. He worked in some of the top Detroit kitchens before launching his own successful pop-up Kung Food Market Studio.