Kathy Fang

Kathy Fang
Born
San Francisco, California
EducationUniversity of Southern California
Le Cordon Bleu
Occupations
  • Chef
  • restauratuer
  • television personality
  • author
Television
  • Chef Dynasty: House of Fang
Awards2026 James Beard media award nomination for House of Nanking cookbook
Websitekathyfang.com

Kathy Fang is an Asian American chef, restaurateur, and television personality. The subject of the Food Network docuseries Chef Dynasty: House of Fang, she is the executive chef and co-owner of the San Francisco restaurants FANG and House of Nanking; a James Beard Foundation media award nominee; and the author of House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite Chinese Restaurant, a 2025 cookbook she wrote with her father, chef Peter Fang.

Early life and education

Kathy Fang was born in San Francisco to Lily and Peter Fang, who emigrated from Shanghai to the US in 1980. They opened their own restaurant, House of Nanking, in 1988.[1] Kathy Fang spent most of the time she wasn't in school at the restaurant, and learned to cook by watching her father and tasting his dishes. [1]On weekends, after House of Nanking closed, her parents introduced her to a variety of cuisines at late night restaurants in North Beach. [2] She created her own recipes when she was a child. [3]

Peter Fang said the restaurant was mostly empty when House of Nanking opened. In February 1989, a rave review appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, [4] and "literally overnight" it became popular, with "lines out the door of people waiting get in." Despite its success, Fang's parents discouraged her from becoming a restaurateur; in a NPR interview, she said: "My parents knew it was a very tough life, and they came here to give me better opportunities."[1] In 2000, she left San Francisco to attend the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She graduated with a degree in businiess. [2]

Career

House of Nanking, FANG

Following her graduation, Fang worked briefly at Merrill Lynch and Johnson & Johnson. Finding the work boring, she spent a year in culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu, and returned to San Francisco and House of Nanking,[5]where she developed recipes that incorporated San Francisco culture and her real-life experiences. [6] In a United Shades of America column on CNN.com, W. Kamau Bell wrote: "Chef Peter Fang and his daughter Chef Kathy Fang turn those dishes you know into edible art." [7]

In 2009, she partnered with her father to open a second restaurant, FANG, in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood.[3] The menu blended traditional Chinese cooking with other cuisines, seasonal ingredients, and contemporary cooking techniques to create dishes such as Japanese pumpkin eggrolls with caramel sauce. [8] Patty Unterman reviewed FANG for the San Francisco Examiner in 2010. She wrote: "If you are open to lively, very personal creations that riff on the flavors and techniques from this area, you will discover many addictive dishes". [9]

Chef Dynasty: House of Fang, Chopped

Fang has won Chopped twice. Her first win was for a Chinese New Year- themed episode in 2016.[10] Chef Dynasty: House of Fang, a six-episode docuseries, debuted on Food Network in November 2022. Filmed over six weeks in the summer of that year, the series followed Kathy and Peter Fang as they addressed differences over the direction of the business. [11]

Easy Asian Cookbook, House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite Chinese Restaurant

In 2020, Fang's first book, Easy Asian Cookbook: 100+ Takeout Favorites Made Simple, was published.[12] She wrote the 2025 cookbook House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco's Favorite Chinese Restaurant with her father. It includes three generations of family recipes. [13]It was nominated for a James Beard Media Award [14] and named a best cookbook of the year in New York, [15] Eater, and Chowhound. [16] [17]

In high school, Fang met Keanu Reeves while he was waiting in line at House of Nanking and took a photo with him. They recreated the photo when Reeves returned to House of Nanking to film a scene for The Matrix Resurrections twenty years later. The original photo was kept in the shot as an easter egg. During filming, Fang fired the same plate of yang chung noodles 20 times to keep it steaming hot.[18]

Personal life

Fang and her husband, a cybersecurity entrepreneur, live in San Francisco. They have two children.[19]She is an advocate for Asian American community involvement, local businesses, and greater Asian representation in politics and food media;[20] the cast of Chef Dynasty: House of Fang were all Asian. [21] In 2017, she received the Ignite Award from the Asian American advocacy group The 1990 Institute.[22]

Selected awards and recognition

Bibliography

  • Kathy Fang, Peter Fang; House of Nanking: Family Recipes; September 30, 2025; Harry Abrams; 304 pp; ISBN 978-1419777875, 1419777874
  • Kathy Fang; Easy Asian Cookbook: 100+ Takeout Favorites Made Simple; June 30, 2020; Callisto; 186 pp; ISBN 978-1646116706, 1646116704

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chang, Ailsa (2025-09-30). "The father-daughter chefs behind House of Nanking are finally sharing their recipes". NPR. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  2. 1 2 McCarthy, Michael. "Kathy Fang's Culinary Legacy & New Show in San Francisco". Modern Luxury. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  3. 1 2 "Foodie Chap With Chef Kathy Fang - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  4. ↑ Unterman, P. (1989, Feb 05) "Inexpensive, remarkable Chinese Restaurant" San Francisco Chronicle
  5. ↑ Lichtenberg, Nick. "From Merrill Lynch to wok station: the daughter of San Francisco's Chinese food dynasty who defied her parents—by working alongside them". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
  6. ↑ Wong, Audrey (2018-10-18). "Travel Influences: Chef Kathy Fang ⋆ The Dining Traveler". The Dining Traveler. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  7. ↑ Bell, W. Kamau (2017-07-01). "Kamau Bell: Chinatown is as American as fireworks". CNN. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  8. ↑ Bellamy, Gail (November 2014)." Next Gen nostalgia -- Irresistable Pumpkin and Chocolate Desserts." Chocolate desserts. Restaurant Hospitality, Vol. 98, Iss. 11,p. 54
  9. ↑ Alburger, Carolyn (2010-04-29). "Frances, Waterbar, Fang, Oyaji, MORE, Reviewed!". Eater SF. Retrieved 2026-06-11. Over at The Examiner, Madame Unterman is relatively decisive in her feelings towards Fang.
  10. ↑ Tuder, Stefanie (2016-01-29). "Another SF Chef Becomes 'Chopped' Champion; Free CREAM Ice Cream Sandwiches". Eater SF. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  11. ↑ Kato, Yoshi (2022-12-21). "Growing up House of Nanking: Food Network celebrates S.F. family behind Chinatown restaurant". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  12. ↑ Tarlton, Amanda (2021-03-03). "What Chopped Winner Kathy Fang Is Up To Now". Mashed. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  13. ↑ Ness, Laura; Ness (2026-02-12). "Celebrity chef Kathy Fang dishes on House of Nanking". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  14. 1 2 "The 2026 James Beard Media Award Nominees". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  15. ↑ Wartzman, Emma (2025-12-22). "The Best Cookbooks to Gift This Year". The Strategist. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  16. ↑ Remley, Hilary Wheelan (2025-10-21). "The 21 Best New Cookbooks Of 2025 (So Far)". Chowhound. Retrieved 2026-08-14.
  17. ↑ "Famous San Francisco Chinatown restaurant reveals its recipes in new cookbook". South China Morning Post. 2026-01-24. Retrieved 2026-06-18. The book exceeded expectations, selling out on Amazon before Christmas and making the "best of" lists on food media platforms such as Chowhound and Eater.
  18. ↑ "Now you can make Keanu Reeves' favorite noodles". San Francisco Standard. 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  19. ↑ Stupp, Catherine (2023-09-15). "Security Chief Took Extreme Steps to Hide From Hacking Threats". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  20. 1 2 Hudak Prionas, Schuyler (2024-10-28). "Meet the inaugural San Franciscans of the year". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  21. ↑ "San Francisco's newest celebrity chef Kathy Fang represents Chinese cuisine on reality show - CBS San Francisco". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  22. 1 2 1990 Institute 2017 Gala, page 17
  23. ↑ Awards, The TASTE (2023-05-24). "Watch the TASTE AWARDS 2023 Television Broadcast on PBS on Demand". The TASTE AWARDS. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
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