IN CONVERSATION WITH OWEN HAN
interview by JANA LETONJA
Chef, social media megastar and culinary content creator Owen Han has been honing his culinary skills and finding inspiration in the kitchen since he was a young boy. Recently, Owen directed Sweetgreen’s 'Create Your Own' campaign featuring Naomi Osaka and Devin Booker and been a part of South Beach Food & Wine Festival, speaking at FoodieCon. Next up, Owen will debut his cookbook 'Stacked' on 15th October.
Owen, tell us about your passion for cooking and what inspired you to become a chef.
My passion for cooking stems from my Italian/Chinese family upbringing. I grew up visiting my Grandmother, “Nonna”, in Pascoso, a tiny village in Italy, and would watch her in the kitchen for hours on end. My father, on the other hand, is Chinese and would cook big family dinners for our family. Shrimp toast, Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (hong shao rou) and dumplings (jiǎozi).
You've spent countless hours in your Nonna’s kitchen in Italy, sampling local cuisines. What are the biggest lessons she taught you about cooking?
My Nonna is a firm believer that cooking is from the heart. Her kitchen spatula might as well be an extension of her arm. I have never seen her take out a measuring cup. She cooks from feel, based on years of experience and tireless practice. Her dedication to the craft is something I think about every time I finish writing a recipe.
What are your top 3 advice for everyone when cooking?
1. Taste, and clean, as you go. Don't overfocus or stress about measurements and cook times. Instead, try to let your tastebuds guide you.
2. Practice basic technique. Refining your knife skills, sautéing, roasting, and grilling will have you feeling more comfortable in the kitchen and approaching new increasingly complex recipes.
3. Strive to source the freshest, highest quality ingredients for your meals. Amazing produce and olive oil are game changers.
If you had to pick only one, which is your favorite dish to make and why?
Carbonara. It's a great representation of delicious cooking with just a few ingredients and steps, and it's one of my Nonna's favorites too. Pasta was the first thing I learned to make from scratch.
What is your favorite 'secret' ingredient to use in the kitchen?
Sugar to cut through acidity.
You garnered a huge following on your social media. What inspired you to start sharing your culinary skills and content on social platforms?
One of my closest friends and former roommates, H Woo Lee, a fellow culinary content creator, inspired and motivated me to start posting my recipes on social media. H Woo is unbelievably talented in the kitchen. I highly recommend everyone check his social media pages out.
How would you say social media helped build your career?
I would say it did more than help build. Social media is honestly the foundation and backbone of my career. I would never refer to myself as a chef. I am a content creator and social media is the vehicle through which I'm able to share my favorite kitchen creations to millions of amazing people.
You recently directed 'Create Your Own' campaign for Sweetgreen. Tell us more about how did this project come about and how was the experience of directing for you.
I had worked with Sweetgreen to help market their offerings on my social media page prior to them asking me to direct this campaign. It was an absolutely amazing experience getting to teach the production team how to create an ASMR recipe video alongside Devin Booker and Naomi Osaka.
You were also just in Miami for South Beach Food & Wine Festival, speaking at FoodieCon. What makes being a part of such festivals and sharing your experience so special to you?
There are two amazing components of getting to attend the festival. First, meeting followers and fans in person, and second, getting to collaborate, discuss and network with my fellow culinary content creator contemporaries.
This October, you'll be releasing your debut cookbook 'Stacked'. What inspired it and what kind of recipes can we expect to see in it?
The inspiration for the cookbook was undoubtedly years of sandwich recipe crafting and eating. I wanted to create the go-to cookbook that sandwich lovers from any background and with any level of skill in the kitchen could have handy as a go-to. Included within are, of course, my favorite sandwich recipes, the best sides and pairings, and breads that even the novice bakers such as myself can handle.
What can you tease about your other upcoming projects?
I am really excited to be launching a YouTube channel this year that will feature 10+ minute videos. The channel will feature a couple different series, but one of my favorites is ‘Nonna Knows’, which will feature myself putting together some of my Nonna's best recipes only to have her give me feedback at the end, which she's brutally honest with.
photographer BRENDAN NORTH
