Kat Lieu

Kat Lieu
Hosting an episode of The Ultimate Subtle Asian Bake Off! in 2023
Born
Montreal, Canada
SubjectFood
Years active2022–present
Children1

Kat Lieu is a Canadian-American cookbook author and the founder of Facebook group Subtle Asian Baking.

Early life and education

Lieu is of Vietnamese and Chinese (Cantonese) descent.[1] She was born in Montreal, moving to Brooklyn, New York at age two.[2] Growing up, she spent the school year in Brooklyn with her parents, but would spend summers in Montreal with her grandparents; her grandmother loved to bake and cook, and taught Lieu those skills.[1]

Lieu decided to become a physical therapist in high school.[3] She graduated from college in 2008 with a degree in physiotherapy,[4] and worked as a doctor of physical therapy for more than 13 years.[5] In 2023, she decided not to renew her physical therapy license, as part of a full shift to a culinary career.[3] In a 2023 interview, she noted "[physical therapy] never really felt like it was my own choice".[3]

Career

Lieu is a self-taught cook and baker, having never taken professional classes.[1]

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lieu found herself missing her mother's cooking, and became aware of the lack of Asian baking recipes online.[6] In May 2020, she founded Subtle Asian Baking, a Facebook group to share Asian-inspired recipes. The group quickly gained traction, with 67,000 members by the end of the year;[7] by 2024, the group had around 160,000 members. The group often runs fundraisers for different organizations.[1][8]

Lieu has written three cookbooks: Modern Asian Baking at Home (2022),[9][10] Modern Asian Kitchen (2024),[1] and 108 Asian Cookies (2025).[11][12] Lieu has said she is a "prolific" writer, and thinks she might write ten to 15 cookbooks in total.[5] She has also written articles for Parade.[13]

Lieu's online food content has drawn racist remarks, and she has spoken out about how these comments are an example of the racism faced by Asian-Americans.[6][12][14]

Recognition

Lieu was recognized by 425 Magazine on their 2023 40 Under 40[15] and 2024 Women to Watch lists.[2]

Her Instagram account was nominated for a 2023 IACP Award in the Individual Instagram Account category.[16] In 2024, she was awarded the Toni Tipton-Martin Award from the IACP.[17]

Personal life

Lieu has lived in Renton, a suburb of Seattle, since 2017.[6][8] She has a son, who was born in 2013.[5]

Publications

  • Modern Asian Baking at Home: Essential Sweet and Savory Recipes for Milk Bread, Mochi, Mooncakes, and More, Inspired by the Subtle Asian Baking Community. June 2022.[18][9]
  • Modern Asian Kitchen: Essential and easy recipes for Ramen, Dumplings, Dim Sum, Stir-Fries, Rice Bowls, Pho, Bibimbaps and more. Beverly, MA, USA: Harvard Common Press. April 9, 2024. ISBN 978-0-7603-8404-6.[1][19]
  • 108 Asian Cookies: Not-Too-Sweet Treats from a Third-Culture Kitchen. October 2025.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Alarcón, Claudia. "Kat Lieu, Founder Of Subtle Asian Baking, Releases Newest Cookbook". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b DeMedeiros, Joanna Kresge, Destiny Valencia, and Hailee Wickersham | Photography by Rodrigo (September 1, 2024). "Women to Watch: 2024". 425magazine.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved May 25, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c "Meet Kat Lieu". canvasrebel.com. December 28, 2023. Archived from the original on May 29, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. ^ Mok, Charmaine (October 22, 2022). "The Asian Facebook bakers cooking up sweet treats with a side of activism". South China Morning Post. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Peterson, Blake (April 2, 2024). "'I Wanted to Share Real People's Stories': Kat Lieu Talks New Cookbook". 425magazine.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Ong, Amanda (November 8, 2022). "Kat Lieu's Subtle Asian Baking Brings Asian Flavors to Your Favorite Sweets". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  7. ^ Wei, Jessica (December 9, 2020). "The Facebook Group Where Asian Baking Takes Center Stage". Eater. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Sheppard, Cameron (August 28, 2022). "'Subtle Asian Baking' founder Kat Lieu publishes best-selling cookbook". Kent Reporter. Archived from the original on April 23, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Duffell, Rachel. "21 New Cookbooks and Culinary Titles for Autumn 2022". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on May 29, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  10. ^ Juris |, Carolyn. "This Week's Bestsellers: August 8, 2022". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  11. ^ "'Modern Asian Baking' honors heritage, supports cultural and relief efforts". king5.com. May 25, 2025. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "A cookbook author was called racist slurs for sharing her chocolate rice recipe". TODAY.com. February 26, 2025. Archived from the original on March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Articles by Kat Lieu". Parade. February 26, 2025. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  14. ^ Makalintal, Bettina (June 8, 2023). "Lean In or Log Off?". Eater. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  15. ^ Hobson, Soumya Gupta, Joanna Kresge, Blake Peterson, Stephanie Quiroz, John Stearns, and Hailee Wickersham | Photography by Jeff (September 1, 2023). "40 Under 40 | 2023". 425Business.com/. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved May 25, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Hecht, Lisa. "2023 IACP Awards Finalists". IACP. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  17. ^ "Kat Lieu Transcript". Cherry Bombe. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  18. ^ "'Modern Asian Baking at Home': Nearly 70 friendly, forgiving recipes open to interpretation". The Seattle Times. June 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  19. ^ Hoffman, Maggie (March 4, 2024). "The 80 Most Exciting New Spring Cookbooks for 2024". Epicurious. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
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