Shanghai's First Home Dining Platform: Inside +1 Chopsticks

Originally published on Sophie Serves Up on April 20, 2026. Republished with permission.

You've heard of Airbnb Experiences, but we're sure you've never heard of +1 Chopsticks — Shanghai's first home dining platform connecting travelers with local families for authentic home-cooked meals. These are the kind of memorable meals that never make it into any restaurant guide because they happen in someone's living room. Booking a +1 Chopsticks experience, in short, is the best restaurant in Shanghai that isn't a restaurant.

We sat down with founder Steven To to learn more about how +1 Chopsticks came to be, what participants can expect, and how these intimate "supper clubs" are changing the way tourists and locals alike experience the city. And, of course, we partook in a +1 Chopsticks experience ourselves — one based on 谷雨 (Grain Rain), one of China's 24 solar terms, themed around 吃春 (eating spring) — and are here to spill the tea. ☕

🙋 About the Founder

Before we dive into +1 Chopsticks, please share a bit about your background.

I'm Steven, founder and CEO of +1 Chopsticks. Born and raised in Hong Kong, I studied in the US, married my wife from Tianjin, and have lived and worked in China for over 15 years.

I'm a Kellogg MBA graduate (Northwestern University) and a former management consultant, which shaped how I think about building businesses with real operational rigour. I'm also a serial entrepreneur in hospitality and education, and the author of the "China vs the West" series — which reflects my passion for bridging cultures and showing the authentic China that most visitors never get to see.

🥢 The Elevator Pitch

Please share your +1 Chopsticks "elevator pitch."

+1 Chopsticks is China's first home dining platform, connecting international travelers with local families for authentic, home-cooked meals. In Chinese culture, 加一双筷子 — adding an extra pair of chopsticks — is the invitation to dine together. That's exactly what we do.

Our target audience is curious travelers who want to connect with locals through food — people who'd rather sit at a local family's table for Shanghainese classics, Northern-Southern fusion, or Cantonese home cooking. This includes solo travelers, couples, families, and anyone seeking a genuine connection with China's food culture.

💡 The Origin Story

Why did you start +1 Chopsticks? Where did the idea come from?

The idea came from my own travel experiences. I've been to 60+ countries and all seven continents, and the meals I remember most weren't in restaurants — they were in people's homes. Dinner at Peer's place in Copenhagen. Lunch with Ahmed's family in Fez. A late-night meal in Nairobi. Those were the moments that stayed with me.

Living and working in China for over 15 years, I realized this kind of experience simply didn't exist here for travelers. So we built it.

Since launching in early 2026, the signal has been clear — this is exactly what travelers are looking for. Guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many saying it was the highlight of their entire trip. In the era of AI, we believe such connections will become increasingly more important. After all, the point of travelling (vs browsing on social media) is to experience local cultures and meet local people. As our motto goes: "real connection is the new luxury."

🏠 How It Works for Hosts

How does +1 Chopsticks support those who are hosting guests?

We handle all the heavy lifting so hosts can focus on what they love — cooking and connecting with people. This includes marketing and guest matching, booking management, and a fully automated email system that keeps both host and guest informed at every step, from booking confirmation to a reminder 48 hours before the experience.

We've also designed a Home Dining Cheat Sheet sent to every guest ahead of their visit. Many travelers aren't familiar with Chinese dining etiquette — things like how dishes are shared, how to pour tea for elders, or what to expect at a home table. This helps guests arrive prepared and genuinely curious rather than anxious, which makes the whole experience better for everyone.

👥 Group Size & Booking

What is the typical group size? Can people book a private experience?

Each experience accommodates 1 to 6 guests, and in some cases up to 10 depending on the host's space. Every booking is private by default — the meal is exclusively for your party. So whether you're a solo traveler or a group of friends, you're not sharing the table with strangers. It's your own private home dining experience.

🌸 Seasonal Menus

What are some seasonal themes for future events?

Food in China follows the seasons closely, and our menus reflect that. Hosts naturally cook with what's freshest and most meaningful at each time of year. Beyond the spring 吃春 menu around 谷雨, you can expect:

• ☀️ Summer — lighter, cooling dishes
• 🦀 Autumn — hairy crab season and harvest produce
• 🍲 Winter — warming braises and hot pot-style sharing dishes

Each host also brings their own regional flavors — Shanghainese, Cantonese, Northern Chinese — so every season offers something different depending on who you're dining with. Prices range from RMB 200–500 per person, and experiences last 2–3 hours.

📅 Availability & Vision

How often do you host these events?

We've been running experiences every week since March 2026. As our host community grows, we're working toward daily availability across different neighborhoods and cooking styles — so travelers can book whenever suits their itinerary, rather than working around a fixed schedule.

Where do you hope to see +1 Chopsticks in a year? In five years?

In a year, we want to be the go-to platform for travelers seeking authentic, curated food experiences in China — known by name, recommended by guidebooks, and loved by the communities we work with.

In five years, we want to be the Airbnb Experiences of China. When someone plans a trip here, picking a +1 Chopsticks experience should feel as natural as booking a hotel. We want to be how travelers form real connections with this country and its people — one home-cooked meal at a time.

🍽️ The Experience: A Jiading Lunch

We recently made the trek north to Jiading, on the outskirts of Shanghai, to experience a +1 Chopsticks lunch. In short, it was some of the most bona fide benbang cai we've had in as long as we can remember.

Benbang cai is a traditional home-style of cooking originating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, characterized by "thick oil, red sauce" and a distinctively sweet and savory flavor profile. This is not the food found primarily on the street, but rather in people's home kitchens, shared around overflowing tables encircled by close friends and relatives — typically supplemented by baijiu-fueled laughter. 😄

We arrived just in time for a tour of the host's garden, where seasonal malantou (a nutritious wild green that grows in the Jiangnan region, known for its fragrant, slightly bitter taste similar to chrysanthemum leaves) was sprouting, alongside spring bamboo and blossoming flowers. That same malantou found its way into the kitchen wok for a quick blanch before being minced and tossed in sesame oil with firm tofu as a cold salad.

Next, the wok came to life again — firing celtuce stems with fried farm eggs, a superlative rendition with deep orange yolks and a richer, creamier mouthfeel. Steaming plates arrived in quick succession:

• 🍖 Sticky pork ribs caramelized in a sweet and sour reduction
• 🎋 Braised bamboo shoots in a savory soy sauce
• 🥬 Baby bok choy sautéed with white and shiitake mushrooms
• 🐟 Garlicky river eel rolls
• 🍲 Handmade fish balls in a clear broth
• 🍚 Crispy-bottomed rice with cured pork and wild greens

Other favorites included kaofu — springy braised wheat gluten that soaks up its glossy sweetened soy sauce like a sponge — homemade red bean paste stuffed tangyuan (mochi rice balls), and seasonal tomatoes.

But this is just the meal we had on this particular day. There are dozens of hosts around the city sharing their interpretation of a local meal with guests, with cuisines ranging from Shanghainese to Sichuan, Dongbei to Hunan. No two meal experiences are the same, as each host selects only the most in-season vegetables, preparing and cooking them using their own family recipes.

This is not the overly oily, ultra-saucy benbang cai you'll find at commercialized Shanghainese haunts downtown. This is the real home cooking — where true flavor comes from homegrown ingredients on the actual property, where the wok has been seasoned by decades of use, and where balance is everything.

All of this is elevated by the intimate family-style experience of connecting with real Shanghainese people who are proud to share their heritage through the food on the plate. As Steven put it, the interactions are real — allowing visitors to connect with the local culture on a deeper, more meaningful level, through the universal language of love: food. ❤️

📍 How to Book

The best place to start is www.plus1chopsticks.com, where you can browse host profiles, see availability, and reserve a table. +1 Chopsticks is also on Instagram at @plus1chopsticks for behind-the-scenes content, seasonal menus, and guest stories — and listed on GetYourGuide if you prefer booking through a platform you already know.