Cheftimony Episode 008 - A Weekend in New York
My fiancée and I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend in New York City, enjoying highlights from the MoMA to the Frick to Smalls Jazz Club, a snack at The Halal Guys, an art tour with The Two Percent, dinner at Porsena… and on and on. I absolutely love New York and was really happy to be back.
While we were in town, I was delighted to speak with Chef Jenny Dorsey, an accomplished and innovative New York chef. Chef Jenny covers a lot of ground. She has a background in business, has lived on both coasts of the US, writes, speaks, consults, hosts a podcast, runs a non-profit, hosts a pop-up dinner series and experiments with augmented and virtual reality. And that’s all on top of being a very busy chef!
While her work and creativity revolve around being a chef, a culinary experience is not only about food for Jenny. Story-telling is very important to this chef too. Born in Shanghai, Jenny experienced what she calls lunch box shame when growing up in the US, being teased for bringing food to school food that was unusual to others. Now as an accomplished chef, Jenny creates dinners not just to serve great food to her guests, but to challenge their thinking too, going so far as intentionally making her guests uncomfortable. Check out Chef’s article in the online magazine Narratively called “Yes, This Meal is Supposed to Make You Uncomfortable”. Toward the end of the episode, Chef and I talk about what she calls the most personal project she has created since becoming a chef – a culinary and virtual reality experience called Asian in America which Jenny debuted in New York in August and is now taking on the road.
And while she creates events and meals you simply won’t find anywhere else, Chef Jenny is also down to earth and easy to talk to. I loved how honest and direct she was during our interview, and I think that carries through in everything this chef does. To New York now! Please join me for my talk with Chef Jenny Dorsey.