I did not come from a wealthy background. My mother (a single mother who raised 6 children with love and courage) wanted me to have a secure future, so she spent a lot of money to send me to the UK, where I learned to be a professional secretary.

Then, I backed to Hong Kong and worked as a secretary.

But I had a problem: I could not concentrate on paperwork.

It was a serious issue and I sought medical help. The doctor diagnosed me with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: means a person may have difficulty staying on task, sustaining focus, and staying organized, and these problems are not due to defiance or lack of comprehension).

I felt like my world was falling apart. How could I make a living with this condition? How could I meet my family's expectations？

When I was fired from three different offices, I lost all my self-respect.

With nothing left to lose, I decided to use my savings and open a small restaurant.

As kitchen is the only place to gain back my self-esteem.

I love cooking, however, I was not trained as a chef.

But I was very lucky. Many famous chefs were kind enough to share their cooking secrets with me wholeheartedly.

They saw something in me: a fearless middle-aged woman.

My cooking skills improved a lot with their help and the my business started to pick up.

I became kind of famous as CNN named ChoyChoy Kitchen as one of the Best Private Kitchen in Hong Kong

Business was good and I gained back my focus and self-respect in my kitchen in Hong Kong.

I tried to find a professional partner who could fully utilize my brand and my creativity.

I moved to Tokyo and opened a restaurant with my partner.

However, the covid pandemic hit, restaurant business suffered. And we ended the partnership.

I bought a small house in Aobadai, Meguro and began to run my own restaurant.

The restaurant was really small and could serve only 4 guests. I served only authentic Chinese Cuisine with high-end food ingredients.

The price of my cuisine seems high. However, the cost of high-end ingredients in Japan was high too and the profit margin was unexpectedly low.

Although the profit was not as expected, I feel a profound joy that fills my entire being whenever guests appreciate authentic Chinese Cuisine.

Whenever I got a compliment about authentic Chinese cuisine, I feel like destiny chose me to spread the gospel of real Chinese Cuisine in Japan.

Introducing the authentic Chinese Cuisine to Japanese is a challenging mission. As most of the Chinese Cuisine in Japan is adapted to the local preferences and tastes and therefore most Japanese have never experienced the true flavors of China's diverse regions and dishes.

Although mission sounds difficult, I will try my best.

Click here to enjoy Grace's recipes.