Ming Tsai
National Food Safety Education Month Spokesperson

“I am honored to serve as this year’s spokesperson for such an important cause. Chefs are responsible for implementing food safety practices in all we do, and I look forward to supporting the efforts to keep food safety at the top of everyone’s mind in the industry,” said Ming Tsai.

Ming grew up in Dayton, Ohio where he spent many hours cooking alongside with his mother and father both in their home and in their family owned restaurant. He enjoyed learning about and gaining appreciation for the traditional culinary methods of his Chinese heritage.

Ming traveled East to Yale University to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Summers throughout this time always included time in the kitchen, especially after his sophomore year at Yale when he attended Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. With his mechanical degree in hand, Ming made the decision to pursue his culinary ambitions and returned to Paris. Back in the United States, Ming earned his master’s degree, from Cornell University, in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing.

After holding positions in both the front and back of the house, Ming’s latest post is as chef-owner of Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massechusetts. The continued successes of Blue Ginger is noted by achievements like receiving 3 stars from the Boston Globe and has been named Best New Restaurant by Boston Magazine. Blue Ginger was nominated as Best New Restaurant 1998 in the country by the James Beard Foundation and has sustained a number 6 overall rating in the Zagat Boston.

After opening Blue Ginger, Ming appeared on the TV Food Network as a guest/guest-host and discovered his niche in the television world. Ming landed his own show in September of 1998; East Meets West with Ming Tsai. A few months later he was awarded an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Service Show Host.’ More recently, Ming has added a new outdoor adventure-cooking show, which focuses on his love of great food and the great outdoors.

Ming gathered together his repertoire of East-West recipes and techniques and published his first cookbook, BLUE GINGER: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai. The cookbook continues its popularity since its debut in November of 1999 as it has reached the fifth edition. The book was selected as one of 1999s 25 best cookbooks by Food and Wine.

Ming has also partnered with Wildly Delicious, the Toronto based company, to create his signature line of Asian inspired products. Additionally, Ming is a consultant on the Kyocera research and design team Kyocera is the Japanese manufacturer of the state of the art ceramic knives that he uses on his shows and in his restaurant. To find more information on Ming’s cookbook and products, visit www.ming.com.

Ming has been named Chef of the Year 1998 by Esquire Magazine and most recently was awarded the 2002 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards American Express Best Chef: Northeast.