Su-Mei Yu
Su-Mei Yu is the author of Cracking the Coconut, which won an IACP Cookbook Award in 2000, and Asian Grilling. She was previously chef-owner of the acclaimed Saffron restaurant in San Diego, California.
Story
In November 2007 Su-Mei established the Three-Generation Cooking and Farm Academy. She adhered to strong traditional beliefs about the integral place food plays in Thai culture and well being. She placed much emphasis on cooking sustainably creating recipes using local, seasonal ingredients. She saw the importance of composting and saying "NO" to plastic.
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Su-Mei became well known as one of Southern California's most popular cooking instructors, offering classes filled with Thai cooking techniques, history, stories and recipes researched during annual visits to her native Thailand. She has written for numerous publications, including Fine Cooking magazine, Food and Wine magazine, and the prestigious British journal Petits Propos Culinaire.Of Chinese heritage, Su-Mei Yu was born and grew up in Bangkok. At the age of fifteen, she moved to Kentucky and then to California, where she received her Master's degree in Social Work from San Diego State University. Before retiring to Thailand, it was her ongoing desire to re-create the foods and cultural traditions of her youth making her a foremost authority on authentic Thai cuisine.
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Su-Mei offers signature cooking classes to all that are interested in her culinary skills on her visits to Chiang Mai.
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As Three-Generation Cooking and Farm Academy's Senior Advisor, Su-Mei Yu’s passion for cooking and community activism brings to the Three-Generation Community for Learning an abundance of resources, talent and vision.