Ming Tsai

Ming Tsai

Ming’s story began in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio where he spent countless hours cooking alongside his mother and father at their family wned restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen. His love of cooking (and eating!) great food was forged in these early years, while he gained valuable experience in both the front and back of the house. With food still deeply ingrained, Ming headed east to attend school at Andover and then onto earn his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Yale University. During this time, Ming never strayed far from the kitchen; while at Yale, his sophomore summer was spent at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris.

Upon graduation, Ming made the decision to make food his focus and set out to learn as much as he could, in kitchens around the globe. In Paris he trained under renowned Pastry Chef, Pierre Herme and in Osaka with Sushi Master Kobayashi. By the time Ming returned to the United States, he knew that he had made the right decision to pursue his true calling in the world of food. To get closer to his (and every chef’s dream), Ming enrolled in graduate school at Cornell University to earn his master’s degree in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing. From there he moved on to hold positions in both front and back of the house at establishments in Chicago, Atlanta, California and Santa Fe, where he continued to learn varied styles of cuisine.

Finally, in February of 1998, Ming’s dream became reality. He and his wife Polly opened the doors to Blue Ginger, a bistro-style restaurant dedicated to East-West cuisine. Located in the Boston suburb of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Blue Ginger brings urban dining and sophistication to the Boston suburbs. Since opening, Blue Ginger has impressed diners from Boston and beyond with its unique East-West cuisine. In its first year, 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’. Five years later the popularity continues. The James Beard Foundation crowned Ming as the ‘2002 Best Chef Northeast’, while the 2002-2003 Zagat Restaurant Guide rated Blue Ginger as the ‘2nd Most Popular Boston Restaurant’.

In the Winter of 2000, Ming was approached by Target, who proposed the idea of a partnership. With the backing of such a trendy, quality-focused retailer, Ming would be able to give even more people the opportunity to create East-West food at home that is flavorful and healthy, while at the same time being fun and affordable. From Target and Ming’s partnership, the Blue Ginger line was launched. ‘Blue Ginger’ is exclusively available at Target and SuperTarget stores nationwide. The easy to use, high-quality cookware and delicious Asian-inspired ingredients and snackfoods allow the home-cooks to experiment and create their own versions of Ming’s East-West fare. In January 2004, Ming’s noodle bowls, rice bowls, and stir-fry kits debuted at SuperTargets across the country. These tasty, exotic meals bring East-West cooking from the microwave or skillet to your table in minutes!

Ming is currently the host of Public Television’s cooking show, Simply Ming, which airs nationally and began cooking for television audiences on the Food Network, where he was the 1998 Emmy-Award Winning Host of East Meets West, Cooking with Ming Tsai and Ming’s Quest. In addition to television, Ming is also the author of two cookbooks. His first, Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai, is now in its 8th edition and was selected by Food and Wine Magazine as one of 1999’s twenty-five best cookbooks. Ming’s second cookbook, Simply Ming, was published in November 2003 and echoes the format of his television series by the same name, featuring the recipes of his show, as well as recommended beverage pairings for each dish, helpful hints, and a guide to Asian ingredients.

Ming’s third cookbook, Ming’s Master Recipes, is a companion book to the second season of his television show and is available in the Fall 2004. Visit ming.com, Ming’s information based site, focused on East-West living, for recipes, ingredients, culinary gadgets, signature products, updates on Ming, his restaurant and more.