Amelie Ning Kang is a Chinese chef and restauranteur. In 2015, she founded the Sichuan restaurant MáLà Project, and in 2019, she founded the fast-casual restaurant Tomorrow.
In 2018, Kang was selected for Eater Young Guns. In 2020, she, Meng Ai, and Yishu He, as co-founders of MáLà Project, were named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Food and Drink.
Early life and career Growing up south of Beijing, Kang grew up in a family of "good cooks" and "had a romantic relationship with food." She then went to the city for high school, worked at a French café, and looked for college education in culinary arts.
In 2010, Kang moved from Beijing to New York City in order to study at the Culinary Institute of America.
Career After school, Kang worked in various establishments including Bar Boulud, Café China, China Blue, and B-Flat.
In 2014, Kang had the idea to start a restaurant, which became MáLà Project one year later in the East Village. Kang opened another location in Bryant Park in 2018.
In 2019, Kang opened a dumpling and noodle restaurant, Chubby Princess, in the Financial District, Manhattan. However, it closed six months later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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