The First Letter to You

Letters from Irene is a personal food journal and recipe site built around honest Chinese cooking — written for curious home cooks around the world.

This is my first letter to you — and a quiet beginning. It started with my best friend Margot, who moved to a small town in Norway where Chinese food — and the ingredients needed to make it — are hard to come by. I began writing down recipes she could actually make — using whatever was available locally, while still capturing the soul of the dishes we both loved.

But I quickly realized I didn’t want to stop there. I want this project to grow into more than just a collection of recipes. I hope it becomes a space where Chinese cooking feels approachable and meaningful — where I can share not only how to cook, but also why: why we use certain ingredients, how techniques connect to flavor, and how tradition and adaptation can live together in the kitchen.

In the future, I also hope to share the reverse — how Asian pantry staples can bring new life to Western cooking. You don’t need imported ingredients to cook something beautiful. Sometimes, it’s about seeing what’s already in your kitchen in a new light.

Each post here is a letter from my kitchen to yours — filled with recipes, reflections, and small fragments of daily life. Whether you’re far from home or just beginning your journey into Chinese flavors, I hope this space brings you a bit of warmth and inspiration.

I’m Irene — a home cook from Hong Kong, now living in Shanghai. I trained at Le Cordon Bleu and currently work as a private chef, creating dishes that connect people through food.