About

Welcome, I’m Maggie Zhu

Hi, and welcome to Omnivore’s Cookbook — your source for real-deal Chinese flavors through a modern Chinese cooking style. I show you how easy it is to cook with wholesome ingredients in your kitchen to create delicious dishes that are like the ones you have in Chinese restaurants.

I started Omnivore’s Cookbook in 2013. Born and raised in Beijing, I moved to Austin, Texas in 2015. Now I’m a full-time New York-based blogger, writer, recipe developer, and photographer.

My mission is to help more people get to know real Chinese food, including less-known regional cuisines, like Northern and Xinjiang food.

What’s Modern Chinese Cooking?

About me

My Childhood

I grew up in a traditional Chinese family with open-minded, forward-thinking parents. When I was a kid, non-Chinese restaurants were rare, but my dad took me to enjoy Western food every other week. By Western food, I mean French-influenced Russian cuisine—the only available in early-90s Beijing. Dishes like Fish Au Gratin, Creamy Potato Salad, and Oxtail Soup became my childhood comfort food, and I still miss them. At home, my mom made cranberry pecan bread using a bread machine three times a week, serving it alongside traditional Chinese dishes like cucumber salad and stir-fried bok choy.

My kitchen in Japan

My culinary adventure began in 2007 in Japan out of necessity, with my first homemade dish—Japanese-style stir-fried sweet and sour chicken—cooked in a second-hand nonstick skillet where everything stuck, yet the result was delicious and made my surroundings feel like home. I was drawn to the meticulous way Japanese cookbooks present recipes, providing precise measurements, unlike Chinese cookbooks, and this attention to detail shaped my own cooking and teaching style.

When I started my food blog

Food worked its magic in 2010 when I met my future husband, Thomas, at a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, where we bonded over a conversation about Egyptian cuisine. On our first date, he made a heavenly carbonara pasta, surprising me with the realization that men can cook too! A few weeks later, I prepared a French-style Russian dinner, and Thomas said my potato salad reminded him of his mom’s homemade dishes. A few years later, I started my food blog where I documented the dishes we’d been cooking and enjoying together. 

Moving to the US

In 2015, I moved to the U.S. and began cooking in my American kitchen, where learning and sharing Chinese food became a way to connect with my roots and the rest of the world. Over the years in the US, I’ve cooked in many kitchens with different setups. And I’ve traveled and lived in many places where Chinese ingredients are not readily available. That’s when I started to dig more into a different type of Chinese cooking, which does not require the same setup we have in China but still creates authentic tasting results.

What I’m working on now

In 2022, I published my first printed book Chinese Homestyle: Everyday Plant-Based Recipes for Takeout, Dim Sum, Noodles, and More. In 2023 I had my son James. It has been a fun adventure to raise him and share all the good food with him. As of 2025, I’m working as an editor-in-residence at America’s Test Kitchen, where I develop recipes and collaborate on videos, podcasts, and TV episodes with the test kitchen team. Now we’re living in Brooklyn, New York as a family of three, where I’m continuing my food journey and sharing it on Omnivore’s Cookbook.

Meet the Team

Emily DruckerPastry Assistant:

Emily, a native New Yorker with over a decade of experience as a pastry chef in Michelin-starred kitchens, joined the Omnivore’s Cookbook team in 2023 to develop recipes for traditional Chinese baked goods, especially milk bread. She’s currently studying neuroscience and psychology, hosting pop-up tasting menus, and running @dirtybirdsweetsnyc, her Instagram-based micro bakery. In her free time, Emily enjoys weekends upstate, exploring NYC’s food scene, and doting on her cats, Bialy and The Void.

Austin DilleyKitchen Assistant:

Austin, from Encinitas, California, discovered his passion for restaurants in college in New York’s Hudson Valley. Since moving to Brooklyn in 2021, he’s cooked across the city and is pursuing a master’s in Food Studies at NYU, focusing on restaurant history, kitchen labor, and cuisine’s ties to conflict and immigration. In his free time, he enjoys biking, reading, and exploring NYC’s food scene. As a new member of Omnivore’s Cookbook, Austin is excited to delve into Chinese culture and cuisine.

FathimaVirtual Assistant:

Fathima, from Chennai, India, is a proud mother of four beautiful daughters, three of whom now shine down from heaven. Married in 2007, her journey has been one of love, resilience, and gratitude. She finds peace and daily inspiration in nature, traveling, and music. Fathima is thriving in her role as a virtual assistant to Maggie and collaborating with others. This work keeps her motivated, connected, and brings her great joy.

Jean-Luc RoyKitchen Assistant:

Jean-Luc, a fine dining chef from Montreal, Canada, began his culinary journey in French restaurants as a teenager. His passion for cuisine has taken him from Michelin-starred kitchens in New York to Cantonese kitchens and extensive travels across China. Now part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team, Jean-Luc brings his expertise to developing innovative recipes. In his free time, he enjoys exploring diverse cuisines, perfecting his craft, and discovering the vibrant food scene around him.

Press

Omnivore’s Cookbook was recognized by Yahoo News as one of the 7 Food Blogs You Should Be Following For Asian Cuisine and named Best Weeknight Dinner Blog by SAVEUR in 2019. In 2020, the site was featured in Season 4, Episode 5 of Lucky Chow, a PBS show.

Chinese Homestyle was featured on NPR, New York Public Radio, Epicurious, Martha Steward, Splendid Table and more.

I’ve written for the Austin Statesman and featured in Reader’s Digest, MSN, Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed.