Hello everyone, I'm Cathy.
If you are looking for an 800-word essay about how food is a spiritual journey, you are probably on the wrong tab.
If, on the other hand, you want to know how a former corporate food supply chain analyst ended up in Los Angeles feeding four hungry kids, three surfboards, and one software engineer every single night—pull up a chair.
How We Got Here
I was born in Shanghai and moved to LA for grad school at UCLA. Mike—a California-raised surfer and software engineer who was buying avocados when we first crossed paths at the Santa Monica farmers market—convinced me to stay.
Fifteen years later, our household runs on pure chaos, good waves, and a whole lot of cooking. Around our dinner table, you will always find six plates to fill:
Mike: My husband and the resident grill master. He handles the charcoal ribs and the tech support for this blog.
Tyler (14): Our eldest, my weekend surf partner at Zuma Beach, and the ultimate stress-test for my recipes (if it can fill a hungry 14-year-old athlete, it stays).
Ryan (12): The CrossFit enthusiast of the family, and the reason I closely audit protein and grass-fed beef labels.
Emma (9): The chief negotiator and picky eater whose palette inspired our "Kids-Approved Sides" category—she likes things bright, sweet, and strictly marshmallow-free.
Lucas (6): The baby of the family, my kitchen shadow, and self-appointed chief taste-tester.
Why "Eat like Cathy"?
After spending years looking behind the scenes of the food supply chain, I can't un-see what I learned about labels, marketing hype, and what words like "natural" actually don't mean. I buy organic not because it's trendy, but because I care about what goes into my family.
At the same time, I’m a Chinese-American mom living in Southern California. Our dinner table is where American comfort food meets practical, no-nonsense family cooking.
Here is what you will always get on this site:
Real portion sizes for a big household.
Clear, precise instructions—no fluff, no life-coaching, and no endless scrolling before you find the ingredient list.
Organic choices that make sense, decoded without the sanctimony or fear-mongering.
Whether you're trying to figure out how to get a nine-year-old to eat green vegetables without a negotiation, or just looking for a solid Sunday pot roast that makes Monday lunch a breeze—you’re in the right place.
A Few Things You Should Know About Me
My biggest kitchen disaster: The Thanksgiving where I tried to scale a turkey for twelve while hosting relatives who prefer dim sum. The bird was dry, the smoke alarm sang backup, and we ordered takeout pizza by 7:30 PM. We still talk about it.
My sanity saver: CrossFit three mornings a week. It’s the one hour of the week where nobody is asking me what’s for dinner, what’s for snack, or where their soccer shin guards are.
My grocery hill to die on: You don't need twenty specialty ingredients to make a great meal. You need a hot pan, good salt, and ingredients you can actually pronounce./l find: Three kinds of hot sauce, a half-empty carton of organic heavy cream, and at least twelve apples that the kids swore they were going to eat for school snacks.
How to Navigate This Site
Looking for tonight's dinner? Head over to THe Dinner Table for main dishes that feed a crowd without a meltdown.
Fighting a vegetable battle with your kids? Check out Kids-Approved Sides—if Emma and Lucas ate it, there's hope for your household too.
Wondering if that "organic" label is a scam? The Organic Audit breaks down the fine print with zero fear-mongering and actual supply-chain facts.
Just here for the mom-life chaos and surf stories? Pull up a chair in Behimd the Apron.
Let’s get cooking.