"I like to think of tea as the punctuation throughout my day, marking the pauses, transitions, and quiet moments."
Can you share your earliest memory of drinking tea and how it made you feel?
I grew up in a coffee household, so my earliest exposure to tea came from my grandparents. My grandfather always carried an insulated water bottle full of hot jasmine tea. Every afternoon, he’d light his cigarette and ride his motorcycle to the teahouse, where he’d set up yet another cup of tea among friends. I even worried my grandfather might be allergic to water—tea was all he drank. Teatime felt like serious business. I remember mimicking the adults, wafting the lid of the gaiwan to assess the aroma.
What role does tea play in your daily life or routines?
I like to think of tea as the punctuation throughout my day, marking the pauses, transitions, and quiet moments. I typically steep my tea in a small teapot or a gaiwan, starting by rinsing the tea leaves then watching the leaves unfurl in hot water. Tea changes flavors with each steep, inviting a moment to observe. I’ve also taken to inviting others in this ritual, a communal experience that’s the perfect backdrop for welcoming new neighbors or catching up with friends. Who doesn't love tea and snacks?
Is there a particular tea or tea moment that holds special meaning for you? Why?
In many ways tea hasn’t changed much in the last thousand years. In 2019, I was on a tea plantation in Hangzhou sipping dragon well green tea while digging into a piece of dongpo pork belly. The dragon well was bright and vegetal, cutting through the richness of the pork belly in the same way a smart wine pairing elevates an entire meal. At that moment I felt the weight of thousands of years of accumulated culinary knowledge. People didn’t just stumble on this, they studied it, paid tribute with it, and even went to war for it. It was humbling to taste a centuries-old tradition.
If you could share a cup of tea with anyone—past, present, or fictional—who would it be, and why?
Anthony Bourdain immediately comes to mind. He’s a polarizing figure, but he strikes me as someone so full of humanity. His travel writing embodied this restless curiosity by asking questions polite television avoided. There’s nobody else who could balance cynicism and sensitivity the way he did, and I can’t help but imagine what sharing a cup of tea with him might be like.
Is there anyone working in the food space that you’re inspired by, that you wish more people know about?
I have so much admiration for Gabe Rudolph of Gestura Utensils. His tools embody this beautiful balance of honoring the past while pushing design into the future. Using a Gestura spoon isn’t life-changing in a dramatic way, but it has quietly improved my everyday cooking. Any cook who’s ever dug through bins of vintage spoons hunting for the perfect lip, the right bowl depth, will recognize the obsession it takes to make something feel just right.
