Lulu's Kitchen

03/31/2026

At the end of February, I started as the Estate Sous Chef for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Antinori Napa Valley focusing on the Collector’s and Immersion Experiences at these wineries. It’s an exciting time to be working for the winery that won the Cabernet Sauvignon category at the 1976 Judgement of Paris that put Napa Valley on the map in the wine world and one of the Antinori wineries! This being the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris, there will be lots of exciting events happening in the valley…feeling excited to be part of the team!👩‍🍳🍷

03/09/2026

Super inspiring miso class @ SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn today. I learned so much about how misos are made…and can be done without soybeans! Made my own jar of celery root & Rancho alubia blanco bean miso that’ll be ready in 6-9 months. There’s so much to learn about fermentation that’s been lost in our food system. Can’t wait to make my concoctions, one with the traditional soybeans and perhaps one with fava beans when they come into season this spring…

02/24/2026

Life is too short for dull knives!

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Because Life’s Too Short for Dull Knives!

Lulu's Kitchen Knife Sharpening Services is officially open in Napa Valley. Call or text Michael on 510.499.9377 to get your's sharpened.

10/14/2025

Things you find while doing "sock-drawer" cleaning of your computer...

Lulu's cooking demo on ABC View from the BayI can’t believe it’s been over 14 years since I appeared on ABC’s View From the Bay. So much has changed since then — videos have vanished, websites have evolved — yet this clip has managed to survive the test of time. It’s a small but meaningf...

09/05/2025

What a fun group for another LK cooking class at Flora Farm! Everyone did a great job and we got all of the tapas and the award-winning Lulu’s Kitchen paella on the table at the same time! DELICIOUS 😋

09/05/2025

What a fun group for another LK cooking class at Flora Farm! Everyone did a great job and we got all of the tapas, gazpacho and the award-winning Lulu’s Kitchen paella on the table at the same time! DELICIOUS 😋

01/23/2025

I’m shocked that Chef Charles Phan passed away. He was one of the first to take Asian street food and home cooking and elevating it for the American palette. We went to his first restaurant in the mission where the door was slanted. Followed him to the temporary spot across from the ballpark, to the ferry building and just recently went to the Napa location. I had the privilege of taking one of his classes for chefs at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. He was humble and understated and showed the future chefs that there is a world of fine cuisines beyond the cream sauces, foam, butter, cream sauces and tweezers. He opened the culinary doors of respect for other Asian chefs and shared his food with love for so many. RIP, chef!💔🧑‍🍳

11/10/2024

I fell in love with paella when I visited Spain regularly while living in London. Then 17 years ago, Corinne Martinez, one of the owners of Berryessa Gap Winery asked if I’d like to compete in their first annual paella cookoff. To many people’s surprise, this Chinese cook beat out Spanish chefs several times over the years to place 1st, 2nd and 3rd!

Later, Corinne asked me back as one of the judges and it was fun but also hardwork to try and be fair/considerate to all of the contestants.

This year, I was back as one of 5 judges again! The judging was based on rice, ingredients and overall flavor of the paella. But for me, it’s all about the rice, cooking it perfectly with a flavorful saffron stock and you have got to have some socarrat that’s crispy but not burnt!

Thanks for the 11 contestants for their hardwork and creativity. My fellow returning judges and I agree that the overall quality of the paellas this year is the highest that we’ve tasted!

09/13/2024

I frequently hung out at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill when I lived in London. It’s always cool to see what’s on the menu and which cookbook was used that day. There was also a great street vendor who roasted coffee beans around the corner and Julie’s Wine Bar that had the best current scones for afternoon teas on Sundays.

So glad to see that the store is still thriving 30+ years later. Always thought it’d be a great idea to replicate someday…

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