Kat Lieu

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Kat Lieu
Kat Lieu in The Ultimate Subtle Asian Bake Off! EP93.png
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.

Contents

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 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 (forthcoming October 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]

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 "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. ↑ "'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.
  17. ↑ 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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