Funviralpark Chef Kathy Fang never appeared in a reality show, let alone a reality show centered around the complexities of running her family’s popular restaurant, House of Nankin and Fang. If anything, she says she was a fan of the early food TV shows that were made in a “stand and stir” format. Giada at Home For example, with chef Giada de Laurentiis. But when she pitched such shows to TV producers, they told her it wasn’t a hot format anymore. So Fang was forced to run the circuit, resulting in two races. chopped He won the championship and appeared in many shows. Defeat Bobby Flay, Guy’s grocery gameWhen Alex vs AmericaIn the meantime, producers approached her to do other reality shows, but nothing worked out.
Producers then got in touch about a show centered around the Fang family dynamic. She was still quipping about the possibility of a show about her family being aired on television, but eventually the idea evolved into her two-minute sizzle her reel and then into a pilot shoot. , was eventually allowed to run her six episodes of Food. Communication network. “You know when people say you’re looking for love and you can’t find it, that’s when you don’t expect it?” Huang says. “I feel like this happened that way. I never thought my life would be so interesting. ”
While the show focuses on Fang’s restaurant, it also focuses on Cassie’s relationship with the family matriarch, chef Peter Fang. It’s about family, Chinese culture, how to balance the challenges of being a business partner and growing a business. Kathy said that being her 50:50 partner with her father at the restaurant was “very delicate,” tackling decision-making and not being aggressive about things when her father might disagree. dance,” she says. “You learn about some of the dishes we make and the thought process behind them,” she says. This old school and new school ideal. ”
Fang says it was a surprise to her that her father took the shot so easily. Filming took place in her early summer of 2022, five days a week, over six weeks. Fang said he didn’t want to worry his father about the schedule and resisted explaining too much to his father about what would happen during filming, but the team loves working with him. was. “The producer was like, ‘Oh my god, your dad is the best. He knows how to hum it. He just gets it,'” Fang says with a laugh.
The show also reveals some of the family’s ambitions. It will ultimately be a restaurant and city-wide promotion, laying the groundwork for the possibility of launching his lifestyle brand under the name of the Fang family. But other themes are at work, says Cathy. “I realized that the show has another purpose, and that purpose is to really share the story of American Girlfriend’s Dream,” she says. “A lot of us are very similar, but our stories aren’t very shared on that level. [of network TV] Because it’s not as impressive as Mark Zuckerberg and people housewife Also Bring Empire — but it’s not for most of us.
Fang recognizes that the show could go wrong, but to her it’s positive that it was made in the first place. But for the entire Fang family, it’s also a way to preserve a piece of family history for the next generation. For viewers, we hope the show will be a story that other families can relate to. “I hope people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds can relate to that, not just Asian people, because many of us are first or second generation immigrants,” Huang says. “And their parents have achieved a certain level of success. And the story is worth it, so that people want to resonate and see and feel it’s well worth it, on a national level.” that can be shared with
Chef Dynasty: House of Fang will premiere on the Food Network and stream on Discovery+ on Tuesday, December 27 at 9 PM ET/PT.
