“China is the place for food, but Sichuan is the place for flavor”

(食在中国 味在四川)

And so the old saying goes about the food from my home province. As Fuchsia Dunlop writes:

“Sichuanese cooking is one of the great cuisines of the world. While in the West it is known mainly for being hot and spicy, in China it is legendary for its sophistication and amazing diversity…the Sichuanese are renowned for their ability to combine many different tastes into exquisite compound flavors (复合味, Fùhé wèi)

Come join me as I cook my way through the 23 distinct flavor combinations of Sichuan cuisine, exploring my family’s recipes along the way! If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of how to create authentic and delicious Sichuan cuisine, and join a community of foodies who love gourmet as much as you, take the first step by joining our Sichuan cooking membership today!

You LOVE to eat, cook, and want to learn…

• How to make my family's SUPER easy 5 minute chili - and customize it to your preferred spice level 

• How to make a giant jar of panda's "drizzle on anything" Sichuan sauce you can use on any and everything (this is the sauce that made me me LOVE veggies as a kid🥦💗) 

• How to take away those hurdles that usually stop you from getting started and make cooking easy and fun 

• Absorb Bites of Chinese food history for context and culture behind this food you’ll ADORE exploring!

*Limited Time Offer: Enroll Today For Lifetime Membership with a One Time Payment of $249

(After offer expires, membership is $24.75/Month, or $297/Year)

My Sichuan Cooking Journey:

Hi there and 你好, my name is Linda! I’ll be your guide and instructor on your Sichuan cooking journey. Before we get started, I’ll be the first to admit: I am not a trained chef. In fact, For most of my twenties, I had a love/hate with the “making” of food. While I enjoyed helping other’s cook, I could never seem to initiate it myself.

It’s not that I didn’t want to cook: I’d buy gorgeous cookbooks…which never got used.

I loved food network programming: the smiling chefs, beautiful kitchens, and colorful feasts made me feel calm and happy…yet even the thought of cooking conjured up stress and drained me of energy. When I moved into  my first NYC studio apartment, I found myself REALLY missing the Málà and umami flavors of home…some days, all I wanted was the food my Mama made. But I was neck deep in the big and little tasks of launching a new business. 

And despite already “knowing how” to make my favorite dishes…I kept spending money on take out. I felt frustrated and ashamed of myself: why couldn’t I just “get started”? 

Here’s what I wish somebody had told me: “hey Linda. The problem isn’t you.”

Learning to cook as an adult is harder than it seems. The issue isn’t “know-how”. It’s about motivation and consistency. 

The tasks surrounding “cooking” drains our motivation. And when there isn’t an external motivator (like prepping for a dinner party), or an intrinsic motivator (like the prospect of enjoying a cozy conversation over a family style meal), it can feel impossible to get started. 

For me, my external motivator came in the form of the pandemic: 

The months-long lock down in a New York sized apartment, along with what felt like a sweeping rise of anti-Asian sentiment across the country,  I felt increasingly trapped in a vicious cycle of expensive take out, unhealthy fast food, and cold cereal dinner. At the same time, I was desperately homesick. And for the first time in my life, I made “learning how to cook my family’s food” a priority. 

Thus began a year long journey of (politely) badgering my mama, baba, and 20+ relatives in our family wechat group, gathering and distilling their collective Sichuan cooking knowledge into a growing collection of illustrated recipes that not only celebrated the food that my middle school classmates used to say “smelled funny”, but also were easy, healthy, and adaptable enough for my schedule, body, and brain:

I had a feeling that others probably had the same challenges that I did (well, okay, I knew this for a fact because my followers DM’d me about it on instagram ), so I began systematizing my newfound joy of cooking into an easy, low stress guide for anyone to start making quick and authentic Sichuan food! 

This guide eventually became Panda Cub Diner, my online cooking membership that not only shows my fellow Sichuan food lovers “how” to make the foods they love, but guides them in creating their own external motivators (like scheduling a group cooking date)…which leads them to actually looking forward to the event.

My Sichuan Masterclasses & Zoom Dinner Parties!

On the last Sunday of every month, I host a live-cooking workshop where we explore a new dish from my family’s archives! These masterclasses are designed to hit that sweet spot of easy, interesting, and social. Come cook alongside your fellow foodies in a safe, welcoming space. And we’ll end each dinner with a special conversation with a “Panda VIP” guest! Past guests have included Yao Zhao (CEO of 50Hertz Sichuan Pepper), Winnie Gu (author of @ThirdCultureChinese) and Annabelle Gao.

Come Cook With Us!

(Limited Time Offer: become a Lifetime Member of Panda Cub Diner, and get VIP (guaranteed) and complimentary seats to ALL of my upcoming zoom Masterclasses (and private recordings of all past Masterclasses) for just $249!

Why Work With Me?

Why cook with me...when you can find all these recipes on Google and YouTube? What my students have taught me is this: we don't need more information. What we're actually seeking is clarity, support and connection!  My classes are designed to transform cooking from “foreign and stressful” into intriguing and exciting!

Together, we separate the “planning” from the “doing”. And soon, the “doing” goes from being a headache to being a joy!  It’s that simple:) 

The not so secret “secret” is “Divide…conquer…and enjoy.” 

I break the experience down into a four week step-by-step system that takes you through streamlining your kitchen and pantry for Sichuan-Style Chinese Cooking cooking. I help my students prepare by providing curated shopping guides of recommended Sichuan Kitchen tools and Pantry staples, which are delivered via strategically timed emails, to lessen their mental load. 

At the end of each month, I host live “Cook-along” classes on zoom (with illustrated recipe cards) for my students, which serve as both a social “meet and greet” amongst new and old students, as well as a social cooking experience – which ends with a delicious meal! 

The real magic behind Panda Cub Diner is the structure, support, and focus on community that’s at the heart of the program. Because so many of us struggle with the tasks that “get in the way” of cooking with joy, we also have weekly and monthly “body doubling” workshops where we support each other in meal prepping, kitchen maintenance and more. 

At the end of the day, my students and I don’t need more information or recipes. What we’re looking for is a structured and gentle “guide” that helps us avoid pitfalls, while providing a warm and inclusive space for us to explore the foods we love!

So my cooking course isn’t so much a “DIY” program, as it is a “Done With You” experience. 

I help you prepare by crafting curated shopping guides of recommended tools and pantry staples, which are delivered via strategically timed emails, to lessen your mental load. Last but not least each class is unique social experience: hint, it involves panda VIP guest: a star in the Asian cuisine space.

Ready To Begin Your Sichuan Culinary Journey?

Ready To Join Danielle, Isobel, Peter (and more foodies?)

I’m not the best at handling very spicy food. I heard Sichuan food is super spicy so would I even be able to eat these dishes?

LOVE this question! ‘Cuz I get to do a little spiel on “family style” Sichuan cooking:) While it is true that many famous Sichuan dishes are super spicy and numbing (think Sichuan hot pot), family style Sichuan meals are all about balance. If there’s a strongly flavored dish (like Mapo Tofu), we pair it with a lighter veggie dish, or even a soup. Many of the dishes I teach are a non-spicy respite (like tomato and egg stir fry), and you can also adjust the amount of spice you add to control the heat to a level you will enjoy:)

Are there payment plans available?

Yes, we offer payment plans. Please click on the “enroll now” button below to view payment plan options! We also offer educator and student discounts. If you are a current educator or student, please email support@pandacubstories.com for more information!