Biography of Ming Tsai

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 US, 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.

Blue Ginger received 3 stars from the Boston Globe, was named "Best New Restaurant" by Boston Magazine, was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as "Best New Restaurant 1998," and Esquire Magazine honored Ming as "Chef of the Year 1998." Almost a decade later, the popularity continues. The James Beard Foundation crowned Ming "2002 Best Chef Northeast," and, since 2002,  Zagat Restaurant Guide has rated Blue Ginger the "2nd Most Popular Boston Restaurant." In 2005, Ming was honored as “Restaurateur of the Year” by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. Ming also has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, Saveur, Food Arts and Food & Wine.

Ming has hosted several TV series, including Emmy Award-winning East Meets West with Ming Tsai and Ming's Quest. Ming's first cookbook, Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai (Clarkson Potter, 1999)  was named one of 1999's 25 best cookbooks by Food & Wine. He is also the author of Simply Ming, and Ming's Master Recipes.  Ming is currently the host and executive producer of the Public Television cooking show, Simply Ming, now in its fourth season. His Simply Ming video podcasts, the first of their kind, feature tutorials on everything from filleting fish to decanting wine.  For the past two years, Simply Ming has been awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award.

In the winter of 2000, Ming launched his Blue Ginger line with Target, the on-trend, quality-focused retailer. Ming's Blue Ginger line of tasty, easy-to-use Asian-inspired ingredients and snack foods is available exclusively at Target stores nationwide. In 2005, owing to Ming's popularity and market viability, Target planned a major line expansion. Ming’s frozen dim sum, noodle bowls, rice bowls, stir-fry kits and flavored chips and sauces arrived in stores in September. These delicious, exotic meals bring Ming's East-West cooking from the microwave or skillet to the table in minutes!

Ming is national spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), working to further education and research on food allergies. Ming is also a founding member of Chefs For Humanity, a coalition of chefs and culinary professionals who organize relief and fundraising for people in need throughout the world. Ming is proud to have cooked for the police force and displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi.