Karen

Meet Karen

About me

You are coming to my home, not a cooking school. There is a garden, and if the season is right I will pick a grapefruit off the citrus tree for you before you leave.

I offer two different cooking classes at home: one focused on vegetarian Chengdu dishes, and the other on the Zigong cold noodle and wolf-tooth potato I grew up making with my mother.

I was born in Zigong. Both my parents worked at the salt factory there, the one that produces well salt, and my grandfather was a boiler man in it. My mother ran a food stall for years selling cold noodle and wolf-tooth potato, and when I was home from school I helped her cut and fry the potatoes and steam and cool the noodles. That is the cooking I know. It is the Zigong way, and you will not find it in any other kitchen in Chengdu.

We cook together. You will make each dish yourself with me guiding you, and you do not need any cooking experience at all. Then we eat what we made, and we talk.

I am not a chef. I learned everything from my mother.

Travel Experience

My purpose in travelling is to meet different people, experience different lives and learn different ideas. Tourist attractions are not a must-visit for me, but local markets always are.

I have been to Spain, Turkey, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan. I have not been to many places. But every one of them holds an irreplaceable memory in my life journey.

Every time I return from a trip, I bring back no souvenirs and I take no photographs to check in anywhere. What stays with me is the interesting people I met, a kind piece of help from a local landlord, a delicious dish at a market, or a beautiful moment in an unremarkable corner. Those leave an indelible impression.

Choose your experience

Optional add-on activities

Activities are charged per group, not per person. Your first paid activity is complimentary when you book today; any activity marked free stays free.

Sample menu

Signature dish

Choose this cooking class to make a vegetarian Chengdu table with Karen in her own home, then sit down and eat what you made.

Here are the sample dishes

Dietary accommodations

Vegetarian, no chili, no pork, no beef and allergy requirements accommodated with advance notice.

Getting There

Jinniu District

📍 Jinniu · ≈ 20 min from Chunxi Road

Your host will share exact door-to-door directions after your booking is confirmed.

Guest Reviews

Jengo · From France

Dined on Sep 29, 2026 with Karen

friends couples

It was really nice, karen was very kind and i am very happy to share this moment with her