#5. In this episode of The meez Podcast, host Josh Sharkey interviews Tim Ma, an accomplished chef, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Washington D.C. based chef Tim Ma is the founder and CEO of Lucky Danger, the Culinary Director of Laoban Dumplings, co-founder of the nonprofit Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, and a culinary consultant for several major projects across the US.

In this episode, Tim talks about his non-traditional path to cooking, his experiences scaling restaurants, what it was like cooking for the Vice President, and how his family's heirlooms ended up being featured in an exhibit at the Smithsonian American History Museum. Plus, the challenge of systemizing Chinese cooking, which is known for its artistry and complexity.

Throughout the episode, Tim shares his passion for food and how his non-profit, Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, has continued to raise funds not just for the Asian American community, but in response to all allies in need. 

Get involved and discover events in your area at www.chefsstoppingaapihate.com/.

Where to find Tim Ma: 

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Where to find host Josh Sharkey:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn

In this episode, we cover:

(3:03) Tim Ma’s background

(4:29) Opening a sandwich shop

(7:40) Cooking for the Vice President

(10:12) Tim’s Smithsonian Exhibit 

(15:54) Being Chinese in Arkansas 

(18:39) Tim’s Early Business Lessons

(22:22) How Tim maintains consistency

(25:15) How to operationalize American Chinese food

(28:59) What is American-Chinese Food?

(33:08) Is iterating ever done?

(36:17) Why Tim loves to open new concepts and restaurants

(38:45) What it’s like starting a CPG business

(48:14) What inspired Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate?

(53:48) Helping people chase dreams

(55:50) Tim’s biggest influences