Meet Ming Tsai
Credit Anthony Tieuli
Ming Tsai is not only a chef and the owner of the well-known Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Mass., he is also a FAAN member and spokesperson who is actively involved in increasing awareness and improving restaurant systems so that people with food allergies can eat out safely.
In Massachusetts, he helped get restaurant legislation passed that requires restaurants to comply with specific food allergy awareness guidelines including displaying a food allergy poster. “Food allergies are incredibly common now, but there are still restaurants and people in the service industry who don’t bend over backward to make a dining experience safe and enjoyable, and that just shouldn't be,” says Ming.
Ming is also a father, and his son has food allergies. “Our son has adjusted very well. He knows he cannot eat anything given to him by anyone other than his parents or his teachers. He simply says, ‘No, thank you. I have food allergies’.”
His advice? “As with all cooking, taste as you go. Food has to taste good. Just because you have to use rice instead of wheat doesn’t mean it can’t taste good. When dining out, calling ahead is the first step. Let the restaurant know that you have someone with food allergies in your party. In my experience, it’s easier to tell the wait staff not just what you can’t have, but also exactly what you can have.”
Ming is currently the host and executive producer of the public television cooking show, Simply Ming, currently in its sixth season. His Simply Ming video podcasts, the first of their kind, feature tutorials on everything from filleting fish to food allergy basics (available on ming.com and iTunes).
Listen to Ming's thoughts about food allergies.
To learn more, read a conversation with Chef Ming Tsai or visit his website.
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