Los Angeles has recently legalized home-based food businesses, providing a platform for culinary enthusiasts to showcase their skills. One such individual making waves in the San Gabriel Valley is Huang Wanyuan, known as Joey, who started her food venture during the pandemic.

Joey began by cooking traditional Shanghai dishes and quickly expanded her offerings to include a variety of Northern and Southern pastries, student lunchboxes, and festive foods. “At first, I was just sharing my food with friends and neighbors,” she explained. “I never expected my cooking to receive such positive feedback, and soon everyone was asking me to make more for them to enjoy.” From that initial small batch, her customer base has grown tremendously, reaching communities across the San Gabriel Valley, including Arcadia, Temple City, Pasadena, Walnut, and Diamond Bar, extending even to Yorba Linda. In the surrounding areas of Grand Dura and San Dimas alone, she has built a loyal following of hundreds, including Chinese international students longing for a taste of home.

Before venturing into the culinary world, Joey worked in logistics back in China and never envisioned making a living from cooking. Influenced by her mother, who was a pastry chef, she found herself drawn to the art of preparing Chinese cuisine. “I enjoy selecting and preparing all my ingredients,” she noted. For instance, she makes traditional mooncakes and savory meat pastries using fresh pork fat that she sources herself, painstakingly refining it into silky dough. Every step of the process, from preparing ingredients to baking and packaging, she manages independently.

Another notable figure in this movement is Wu Hongying, a renowned food creator from El Monte, who runs a “part-time home kitchen.” Having immigrated from Guangdong during her high school years, both sides of her family have a background in the restaurant industry. However, she has always been more inclined towards teaching and the arts. Despite her preferences, her friends encouraged her to share her culinary talents.

“Honestly, it’s not about making money for me,” Wu commented. She enjoys preparing traditional mooncakes, egg yolk pastries, and Cantonese yam-filled dumplings during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and making sausages and cured meats around the Lunar New Year, simply charging for the cost of ingredients.

Joey emphasized that the legalization of home food businesses in Los Angeles has opened up incredible entrepreneurial opportunities for her. Her current monthly income is now double what she earned working for a delivery company, all while balancing household responsibilities and caring for her child.