Ken Hom
🇨🇳 China · Chinese cuisine · b. 1949
The Tucson-born chef whose BBC series introduced wok cooking to Britain.
Biography
Ken Hom is a Chinese-American chef, author and broadcaster born in Tucson, Arizona, raised in Chicago and now based in France and Thailand. His 1984 BBC series 'Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery' — and the accompanying cookbook of the same name, which sold over 1.5 million copies — is widely credited with introducing wok cooking, soy sauce and the basics of Chinese home cuisine to British audiences.
Trained informally in his uncle's Chicago restaurant from age 11, Hom became a TV chef somewhat by accident when the BBC's food editor saw him teaching at the California Culinary Academy. He has since written more than 30 books, presented dozens of TV series across Britain, France, Spain and Australia, and helped develop the Ken Hom wok line — a major reason woks became a kitchen staple in British and European homes.
In 2009 he was awarded an honorary OBE for services to British culinary education.
Cooking Philosophy
The wok as a teaching tool. Hom's career has been about getting home cooks to master one piece of equipment — the wok — and through it, an entire way of thinking about cooking: high heat, fast prep, fresh ingredients, clear flavours.
Restaurants
- MeeLisbon (Hyatt Regency)
Hom's Lisbon Chinese restaurant.
- Maison ChinBangkok
Hom's Bangkok restaurant.
Awards & Recognition
- Honorary OBE (2009)
- Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
- Lifetime Achievement Award — World Gourmand Cookbook Awards
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery
- Easy Family Dishes: A Memoir with Recipes
- Complete Chinese Cookbook
Signature Recipes Inspired by Ken
Original recipes we created as homages to Ken's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditions Ken has worked with throughout their career.
Recipes in Ken's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the chinese cooking tradition that Ken works in. They are not direct reproductions of Ken's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
Career Timeline
Begins working in his uncle's Chinese restaurant in Chicago aged 11.
Moves to Berkeley, California; begins teaching Chinese cookery classes informally.
Teaches at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
'Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery' airs on BBC Two; the accompanying cookbook sells more than 1.5 million copies.
Launches the 'Ken Hom Wok' product line in the UK — popularises wok cookery in British home kitchens.
Awarded an honorary OBE for services to British culinary education.
Awarded the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Hom
Why is Ken Hom important to British food?
Hom's 1984 BBC series and cookbook 'Chinese Cookery' is credited with introducing wok cooking and Chinese home cuisine to British audiences at a moment when most British people associated Chinese food with takeaway sweet-and-sour. It made the wok a standard British kitchen tool.
Is Ken Hom Chinese or American?
Hom was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1949 to Chinese parents who had emigrated to the United States. He grew up in Chicago's Chinese-American community and is a US citizen, though he has lived in France for much of his career and now divides his time between France and Thailand.
Why does Ken Hom have an OBE?
Hom was awarded an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2009 for services to British culinary arts. Because he is not a British citizen, the honour is honorary rather than substantive. It recognises his decades of work via the BBC, his cookbooks and his wok product line in shaping how Britain cooks Chinese food at home.
What makes Ken Hom's woks distinctive?
The Ken Hom branded wok line, launched with British retailer Tefal in the late 1980s, was the first carbon-steel and non-stick wok widely available in UK supermarkets. The line introduced a generation of British home cooks to round-bottom and flat-bottom wok cookery, with handles and weights designed for European hobs rather than restaurant ranges.
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