Celebrate the Year of the Snake with Nourish Kitchen, the new culinary venture from Chef Cheryl Chang. Known for her inclusive approach to conscious eating, Cheryl debuts her journey in Vancouver with a special Lunar New Year Feast Kit. Perfect for cooking and connecting with loved ones, this kit features local collaborations and personal touches that embody the joy of sharing meals together. We sat down with Cheryl to learn more about her inspiration, culinary vision, and how Nourish Kitchen brings people together one delicious dish at a time. —Noa Nichol
What inspired you to create Nourish Kitchen, and how does it reflect your culinary journey and personal values?
About 10 years ago, I found myself and my infant daughter needing to stick to a whole grain, less rich, dairy-free diet due to severe and unexpected allergies. The dietary restrictions were often difficult to navigate whenever we tried to eat out,which was something I loved to do.
As a chef it challenged me to create delicious food that not only accommodated both of our needs but also made it appealing to other family members. Like other parents, I wasn’t interested in cooking multiple versions of dinner at every meal. Nourish was created in response to this experience. I wanted to create an inclusive space for all dietary needs so people who were dealing with complicated allergies and food sensitivities could enjoy delicious food with others without feeling excluded. At Nourish our goal is for everyone – regardless of eating a gluten-free, vegan, dairy free, low-sugar or an omnivore diet – have almost just as many options to choose from.
The Lunar New Year Feast Kit sounds incredible! How did you develop the menu, and what does it symbolize for you?
Thank you! I designed this kit to be a bridge for those who are not familiar with traditional Lunar New Year celebrations and dishes. The menu is curated with options that are accessible, with easy-to-follow directions. What I focused on was trying to create a kit that allowed people to focus on the connections and the delight that accompanies a dinner gathering.
Everything you need is in this kit! You can involve everyone in the prepping process, including little kids. We included a few fun facts about Lunar New Year and why dishes are named the way they are, which will definitely boost conversation and curiosity. This kit is designed to provide you with a table of food and support beautiful connections around the table.
You’ve worked with local producers like Dicky’s Dumps and MAMA in the Kitchen for the feast kit. Can you tell us more about these collaborations?
One of our core values is connection and community. We can’t do it all, but together with other like minded small businesses, we can achieve more. Both of these partnerships reflect strong women entrepreneurs who are making a path in the industry through community, collaborations and of course delicious food. Plus, I never pass up an opportunity to work with other cool, Asian women in the food business.
What makes the Lunar New Year Feast Kit unique, and how does it encourage people to connect through food?
You don’t often find meal kits out there designed to share culture and build connection. Setting time aside for meaningful ways to spend time with friends, family, and community can be easily lost in today’s lifestyle. This kit provides ease and convenience in the coordination of a feast, making the logistics of bringing folks together both fun and much easier.
All you have to do is send out invitations and ask everyone to lend a hand in the creation of making this feast. In just under one hour, everyone will have contributed to accomplishing a shared goal, and be enriched by the conversation, stories and laughter. So, it’s not just about food but about what happens when we come together to make and share a meal together.
Your culinary journey has taken you from front-of-house roles to teaching kids and collaborating with top chefs. How have these experiences shaped your approach to cooking and community building?
This is a beautiful question. I’ve always known I would not be taking the traditional route as a chef, partly due to my own ambitions but also I wanted a lifestyle that could accommodate my family values.
During the pandemic, a lot of shifts happened for me personally and professionally. It was the realization that society as a whole was relying more and more on “fast foods” – not the drive-through kind, but convenient meals which are shelf stable and filled with stabilizers and other chemical ingredients. There is a time and place for those, but there is something to be said for a fresh, home-cooked meal at home, especially for kids.
I grew up going to the markets and prepping meals with my ah-ma (grandma) and that was my connection to her.
It’s heartbreaking for me to realize many of our children’s generation may not be able to enjoy this type of connection, and all the memories and moments that can be created through food. To this day, everytime I pick up cauliflower, I am immediately taken to a very specific moment where I was trimming cauliflower with my ah-ma, where I was learning about the amount of pressure to apply when trimming as I had my first cut on my finger.
While I can’t change our modern day hustle culture and the rise in popularity of “fast foods”, I can do a little bit by making it easier for people to connect over food and make it a less daunting task for some. My ultimate goal is to remove any barriers to connecting over food.
The menu offers a variety of protein and vegan options. How important is inclusivity and dietary flexibility in your cooking philosophy?
Inclusivity and flexibility are extremely important. Nothing shows how much you care more than when you recognize someone’s needs and make sure they’re included.
For example, if you’re hosting a house party and a couple guests are vegans, it’s important to provide dishes they can enjoy and rave about as well. It’s all about celebrating foods together, no matter what you like to eat.
Can you share a favorite memory or tradition from celebrating Lunar New Year with your family? How have those traditions influenced the Feast Kit?
The most important tradition in our family, and my favourite, was when my whole family would gather for a big feast. As I grew up, my older sisters went off to university, but Lunar New Year meant we were all together. It was also a time to be with my cousins, and my ah-ma, who taught me so much about Taiwanese food.
There was always a series of meals where all of us would sit down together, share food, stories and laughter. This was particularly special after we moved to Canada but would return to Taipei every year. What stands out to me was that food was the connecting point, and that’s what influenced this kit. I’m really proud of my Taiwanese culture and I want to share my culture with others. Lunar New Year will always be my favourite holiday. I want people to experience just a little of what I did as a kid, and what I try to do with my family now.
You’ve mentioned being self-taught and overcoming burnout in professional kitchens. What advice would you give aspiring chefs navigating the challenges of the industry?
I am naturally an extremely self-driven individual. When you combine that with an extremely high stress, physical and competitive industry, burnout is a high possibility. The industry has improved significantly when it comes to being diverse, inclusive and acknowledging mental health needs.
The industry has also evolved in many forms with the rise of private dining, ghost kitchens and commissaries. It is more and more possible for young chefs to branch out and be creative in their career paths. The advice I would give is the advice I would have loved: Take your time and explore different avenues of how you would like to be seen and recognized. Follow your gut and try what works. Be brave! After all, you never know until you try. There are no set rules, no ‘typical path’, you don’t have to follow a ‘typical’ path – you create your own path!
What role do you see Nourish Kitchen playing in Vancouver’s vibrant food scene, and what’s next for your culinary venture?
We want food to be fun. We want people to have an experience when enjoying a feast or a simple meal on their own. We want people to feel joy when they sit around a table with people they care about. We’re doing this not just through food, but through creating an experience with tips and tricks, activities and super simple meal preparations everyone in your family can enjoy. We want food to be wholesome and accessible for a wide range of dietary needs.
For those trying the LUNAR Feast Kit at home, what tips do you have for making the cooking experience more enjoyable and meaningful?
- Invite your foodie friends or family members who love to spend time in the kitchen. Then, put them to work!
- Get the kids or less culinary inclined adults to create a beautiful, creative table. For Lunar New Year, red, gold and orange are a good place to start.
- Let people know they will be enjoying a Lunar New Year feast, and encourage them to get into it as much as they want.
Don’t get attached to it being a perfect night. Focus more on fun and play! The kits are designed to be easy to prepare so trust that if you mostly follow the directions, the food will be great. - Take photos – and tag us @nourish.kitchen.canada. We want to see how people engage with the Feast Kits!
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