About

Welcome to CHEWYFOODLIFE.

Who is Chewy? Me, Crystal Chiu. And while I may indeed be chewy, I have adopted “Chewy” as a nickname, thanks to some lovable childhood friends.

Food, life. They are one and the same to me. At the beginning of 2013 I became a pastry cook in title only. Without having worked in a professional kitchen prior to then, I knew it would require training and experience to embody what a “cook” is—how to talk like one, move like one, think like one.

After attending the French Pastry School in Chicago, working at Restaurant Daniel in New York City and countless stages in between, almost unknowingly, I developed a mind of a cook and the scars to prove it. The kitchen was my home, fellow cooks and staff were my family, the chefs were my parents—it had become my life.

Now it was time to think about what kind of cook I wanted to be. My unabated curiosity to learn about the paths of respected chefs led to one observation—they traveled. By what I could surmise, traveling introduced experiences that greatly influence the flavors and techniques chefs develop throughout their careers. That was what I wanted for myself.

Thus CHEWYFOODLIFE was born. I will share what I see and learn during this adventure that begins in Asia with this blog. Enjoy!

– C