For me, cooking is like art.

Instead of using ink or, you know, oil to paint a canvas, for me cooking, my pan, that's my canvas. And then, my ingredients, that's my ink.

When I think about food in my early childhood, food was a really big deal in the Hmong community. I just chose these recipes because they're simple, they're delicious, and in the Hmong cuisine, if you work all day, when you come home, you just want a nice bowl of rice and just something delicious, and pork and collard greens with some peppers, that'll just do you justice. My parents, their identity back in Thailand, we came here in America in 1992 in September.

My parents used to be physicians. When I was a little kid, I was actually born a boy. The name that my parents gave me is Chia. I always knew that I was more feminine. There was three boys, including me, back then and three girls. So now, I'm part of the girls' side.

I'm just happy. I'm just very happy. I felt free. Food did help, as my parents, or my family, accepted me more. I could ask about how their day is going. That was my way I could talk to them instead of being angry at them. That was my way to reach out to my parents is through food, cooking for them. Certain foods, I will do it so much different than traditionally how it would be made.

Cooking in my kitchen, it's like therapy.