I was born in Canton, China, the youngest of three sisters and a brother. In 1954, my family escaped to Hong Kong with me on my mother’s back and few possessions. I grew up in Hong Kong and studied in England where I began a career in the computer industry. After 12 years of training people to adopt this new technology I embarked on an entrepreneurial journey that started in Key West, Florida.
I try to approach everything with a “beginner’s mind”, a Zen practice meaning to see things with fresh eyes (instead of as an “expert” who knows it all). From personal experience, I’ve discovered how to hit the “hot buttons” when it comes to teaching (and learning).
I have an ability to reorganize complicated topics into a simple structure and makes it easy for people to understand. My first experience with this was helping secretaries overcome the fear of losing their jobs to computers. My simple approach to teaching convinced the secretaries not only to adopt the technology but to embrace it.
My next entrepreneurial adventure was a Chinese cooking school in Key West that took the “fear out of frying” for hundreds of students. This was the traditional ‘hands on”, chop-and-chat format using recipes. But I realized people seldom ventured past the recipes I gave them, so I created a “roadmap” that encouraged people’s creativity.
With “Wok Star“, I developed a visual approach to cooking. It’s the difference between having a road map (my visual approach) versus having a list of directions (recipes). My own personal trials and tribulations of learning from my mother (who never used recipes) gives me empathy for people who rely on recipes. I promise, once you start to “squirt, squeeze and shake” your ingredients, you’ll love the freedom of cooking without measuring.
The most rewarding experience for me is to hear success stories from students on how they’ve taken my “Wok Star” approach to develop their own wok creations. From busy working professionals to people who avoid cooking, my goal is to introduce the world to the joys of cooking without recipes or measuring and I guarantee once you try it, you will be hooked!
I put together a WOK STAR KIT which includes EVERYTHING for your success!
Please visit the PRESS page for articles and videos about my personal appearances and media mentions.
Charities
Eleanor donates cooking class certificates to many good causes she believes in which include American Cancer Society, ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charlee, Diabetes Research Institute, FIAC, Foster Care, The Education Fund, United Way, Women In Distress, YMCA, and many more.
Eleanor also offers FREE cooking classes to adoptive parents of Asian children. Please click on contact and email Eleanor for more details.