KATHY FANG
Award Winning Chef, Entrepreneur, and On-Air Television Personality
A first generation Asian American, Kathy discovered her passion for cooking growing up in the kitchen of her family’s iconic Chinese restaurant, House of Nanking, where she began creating dishes and exploring her culinary interests. She left San Francisco as a young adult to pursue a business career, and earned a degree from the University of Southern California where she studied operations management and entrepreneurship. After graduating, she held positions at Merrill Lynch and Johnson & Johnson, before enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School Los Angeles in 2006.
In 2009, Kathy returned to San Francisco and opened Fang Restaurant with her father, the legendary Chef Peter Fang, where she serves as chef and co-owner. At Fang, Kathy blends her family’s heritage and cooking style—which includes influences drawn from many parts of China—with inspiration gleaned from her global travels, to create a sophisticated, multicultural take on China’s rich cuisine.
In 2022, Kathy starred in the Food Network/discovery+ docuseries “Chef Dynasty: House of Fang,” for which she received a 2023 TASTE AWARD for “Breakout Foodie of the Year.” She has also appeared on Food Network shows including “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” was a two-time “CHOPPED” champion, and has served as a guest judge on “Alex vs. America.” Kathy is a returning guest on NBC’s TODAY Show, and in 2023 she appeared on the cover of San Francisco magazine which dubbed her the “culinary queen.” In 2017, Kathy recieved the prestigious Ignite award from Asian American advocacy group The 1990 Institute.
Today, Kathy balances her responsibilities at Fang with making regular appearances on culinary and food competition shows, and serving as a spokesperson for numerous brands and organizations in the travel, lifestyle and non-profit sectors.
A busy working mom of two young children, in 2020 Kathy published her first cookbook, Easy Asian, featuring over 100 healthy, approachable Asian recipes for home cooks. Her perspective on cooking and wellness is grounded in a desire to honor family, pass down traditions, and inspire others to embrace their own cultural heritage through food and entertaining.
A highly regarded food, travel and lifestyle expert—as well as a passionate advocate for the Asian American community—Kathy has worked with a wide array of brands and organizations on a variety of speaking engagements, events and partnerships.
American Express engaged Kathy as a spokesperson for their “Built for Business” campaign. For the partnership, Kathy helped drive awareness around the value of businesses accepting American Express, and welcomed Card Members by sharing meaningful moments as a business owner with her social media audience.
Cast Jewelry—a fine jewelry brand that collaborates with female designers and artists—engaged Kathy for a brand partnership that included hosting and catering a VIP Trunk Show, and wearing and sharing her favorite pieces via her social media platforms.
GoDaddy engaged Kathy as a spokesperson for a TV and print ad campaign targeted at small businesses and entrepreneurs, which was released across the US and in Southeast Asia. She was also brought on to take part in the GoDaddy Roadshow, and invited to help ring the bell at the NYSE along during their IPO in recognition of her work with the company.
