An Inspired Chat with Amanda Huang of New York City

We recently had the chance to connect with Amanda Huang and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda , thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, a normal day for me involves a lot of moving around the city. I currently live in New York, and I am gearing up for fall programming and activities. This includes creating new menus and also planning out pop-up cooking classes in the city. I start my day early in the morning on my laptop responding to emails and doing other business work. I then head out and go for site visits, while talking with potential collaborators for pop-up cooking classes. Later, I may do more work on my laptop, or I may visit a vendor/supplier/grocery store for specific ingredients and supplies I’m looking for. I enjoy the moving around and the dynamic of my day – it keeps me motivated and excited for what’s to come.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Amanda Huang and I am the founder of Earth Made Kitchen. Currently based in New York City, Earth Made Kitchen offers gourmet farm-to-table catering, as well as interactive pop-up and private cooking classes. What makes us unique is that we are more than just a small food business – we are a community. We believe that our cooking classes and catering services excite people, and bring people together through food.

I have over 12 years of experience working in the food industry. When I was living in Toronto, I worked at a recreational cooking school for 9 years, and then transitioned to the restaurant industry. I worked in the kitchens of Ricarda’s, La Palma, and the Michelin-rated restaurant, Aloette. I also enjoy traveling, and learning about food throughout my travels.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I don’t really have one particular moment, but an experience I had that really shaped how I saw the world was through my travels, quite literally too! A few years ago, I spent 8 months traveling to 11 countries. Before that, I’ve traveled a bit, mostly to different U.S states. Every country and city I’ve been to was an eye-opening experience for me. I found that every country and city were so different from each other, yet there were so many things that were similar or had a commonality. I learned so much about people, culture and life from my travels, and saw that the world was so much smaller than it is.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there were many times that I almost gave up! But I kept telling myself to keep going. I started my business in 2019, and I’m still at it!

The most recent time that I almost felt like giving up was making the bold move to New York from Toronto, Canada. The high cost, the competition of the city, visa matters and just being “new” in a “new city” were all factors that scared me a little. But I knew that I needed to go to New York, and that opportunities were waiting for me.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
What I believe is true is trusting your gut. If you have a feeling or sixth sense about something, it’s best to go with your intuition. I cannot prove this though, because others may not act on that. If I tell others to trust their gut and go with how they feel, they may not. It is something I cannot always prove, but I believe in it.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
My customers would miss the food! My food is not made by industrial machines or a large manufacturer – my food/recipes are made by my team and I. I think my customers would miss more than the food, but also the thought and care that is put in every dish.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.earthmadekitchen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthmadekitchen/