Louisa Chu

Contact

Email Address:
Website: http://www.movable-feast.com/

Biography

I'm a chef, journalist, and adventurer.

Most recently I was the chef for a fishing boat in Alaska and the fixer on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, the Chicago episode.

I can be seen in "Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie" on PBS ("Food Lovers Guide to the Planet" on National Geographic internationally). I'm also a producer on the show.

You can also catch me as a judge on Iron Chef America on Food Network and the Paris episode of "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" on the Travel Channel (yes, that's me taking Tony on the meat market tour at Rungis). I was the fixer (aka local translator/guide/field coordinator) on the show.

I've cooked at El Bulli in Spain and Alain Ducasse in Paris. I've also staged at Alinea and Moto in Chicago.

I've also cooked at the Michelin two-starred restaurant Les Ambassadeurs under chef Jean-François Piège in the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.

I received a James Beard Foundation Scholarship to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, graduating with Le Grand Diplôme, for concurrent training in Cuisine and Pâtisserie.

I'm honored to have been a correspondent for Evan Kleiman's "Good Food" on NPR station KCRW since 2002.

And I'm a Gourmet correspondent and CHOW's Gear columnist.

I was born in Hong Kong, but raised in Chicago, My father was originally from Nanjing, but grew up in Shanghai. My mother is from a small village near Guangzhou.

I learned to cook in my family's small Chinese-American restaurants, where during high school I vowed never to work in the business again.

After earning a B.A. in Communications/Journalism, I worked in radio, television, and film production in Los Angeles.

In 2001, I interviewed Julia Child.

Julia inspired me to launch a small catering company. I served modern Asian-American food with wine and tea pairings.

I live in Chicago with my sister Annie, the Creative Product Designer for Paper Source, and our dog Kiba, a 100ish pound Giant Malamute mix from Alaska.

Our late dog Karli was found at the West L.A. Shelter. In Paris she dined in the world's finest restaurants, including l'Arpège, Pierre Gagnaire, l'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Paris), Le Violin d'Ingres, Ladurée, Delicabar, and Berthillon. While not allowed in the dining room at Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénéé, she was served selections from the cheese cart with an assortment of artisanal breads in the hotel lounge. A baked goods lover, during my Cordon Bleu days, she once chose my brioche over pavé de bœuf.

VIDEO CLIPS
Travel Channel-Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (02 February 2009) "Chicago"

PBS-Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie (2006-2009)

Travel Channel-Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (25 July 2005) "Why the French Don't Suck"

AUDIO CLIPS
NPR-KCRW-Good Food (02 December 2006) "Absinthe"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (02 July 2005) "Gastro Bistros"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (22 January 2005) "Food Blogs"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (30 October 2004) "Inside El Bulli"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (26 June 2004) "France's Best"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (31 May 2004) "Life and Food in Paris"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (08 March 2003) "All Roads Lead to...Paris"

NPR-WHYY-A Chef's Table (08 February 2003) "A Romantic Valentine's Date in Paris"

NPR-KCRW-Good Food (25 January 2003) "Inspired Eating"