Chef & Writer

Hello!

I’m a chef and writer based in Montana, where I’ve finally landed after a cool couple of decades in the vast, wonderful food industry of Chicago. I’m lucky enough to feed a devotion to learning about our world through my own everyday cooking as well as special trips into the field. I have a degree in English from The University of Colorado, and one in Culinary Arts from New England Culinary Institute, but I’ve learned most about food and culture through just plain exploring (and eating) a lot.

I’ve been in the food industry since the early 2000’s, working in various operations around Chicago, including being a founding member of Fat Rice, Bon Appétit’s #4 Best New Restaurant in the United States in 2013. After writing Let's Make Dumplings! (Ten Speed Press 2021), Let's Make Ramen! (Ten Speed Press 2019), and co-authoring The Adventures of Fat Rice (Ten Speed Press 2016), I launched Bon Vivant, a limited 7-issue biannual culinary journal focused on a single subject per issue, full of delicious recipes, juicy tales from the road, and beautiful photography.

Nowadays, when I’m not working on a new collaboration or out enjoying the big sky of Montana, it’s a safe bet that I’m busy exploring new and delicious things with the goal of sharing my love of food from both my professional and home kitchens.

Hugh Tadashi Amano

Bon Vivant

  • Throughout the seven issues of Bon Vivant, we shared tales of exploration alongside well-tested recipes and culinary advice in a beautiful print format—a tactile medium we believe deeply in. We were joined by talented photographers and always strove to contribute to a united world through food and drink, celebrating the joie de vivre that cooking, eating, and exploring create.

Let’s Make Dumplings!

  • Chef Hugh Amano and comics artist Sarah Becan invite you to explore the big little world of Asian dumplings! Ideal for both newbies and seasoned cooks, this comic book cookbook takes a fun approach to a classic treat that is imbued with history across countless regions. From wontons to potstickers, buuz to momos, Amano’s expert guidance paired with Becan’s colorful and detailed artwork prove that intricate folding styles and flavorful fillings are achievable in the home kitchen.

    Let’s Make Dumplings! includes dumpling lore; a master folding guide that familiarizes readers with popular styles, like the pleated crescent of a potsticker or the 4-pointed star of a crab rangoon; and a series of cooking directions to choose from, such as steaming or pan-frying. The recipes range from savory Gyoza to sweet Cambodian Num Kom; from classic Baozi to riffs such as Sesame Chicken Dumplings.

    Whether it is the family-style eating experience of stacked steamer baskets filled with succulent shumai and plump xiaolongbao or the interactive process of working together to fold hundreds of jiaozi for a celebration, Let’s Make Dumplings! captures the deep level of connection that dumplings bring to any gathering and shows you how to re-create it in your own home.

Let’s Make Ramen!

  • Playful and instructive, this hybrid cookbook/graphic novel introduces the history of ramen and provides more than 40 recipes for everything you need to make the perfect bowl at home including tares, broths, noodles, and toppings. Authors Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan present colorful, humorous, and easy-to-follow comics that fully illustrate the necessary steps and ingredients for delicious homemade ramen. Along the way, they share preparation shortcuts that make weeknight ramen a reality; provide meaty tidbits on Japanese culinary traditions; and feature words of wisdom, personal anecdotes, and cultural insights from eminent ramen figures such as chef Ivan Orkin and Ramen Adventures’ Brian MacDuckston. Recipes include broths like Shio, Shoyu, Miso, and Tonkotsu, components such as Onsen Eggs, Chashu, and Menma, and offshoots like Mazemen, Tsukemen, and Yakisoba. Ideal for beginners, seasoned cooks, and armchair chefs alike, this comic book cookbook is an accessible, fun, and inviting introduction to one of Japan’s most popular and iconic dishes.

The Adventures of Fat Rice

  • An hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong, on the banks of the Pearl River in China, lies Macau—a modern, cosmopolitan city with an unexpected history. For centuries, Macau was one of the world’s greatest trading ports: a Portuguese outpost and crossroads along the spice route, where travelers from Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and mainland China traded resources, culture, and food. The Adventures of Fat Rice is the story of how two Chicago chefs discovered and fell in love with this fascinating and, at least until now, unheralded cuisine. With dishes like Minchi (a classic Macanese meat hash), Po Kok Gai (a Portuguese-influenced chicken curry with chouriço and olives), and Arroz Gordo (if paella and fried rice had a baby), now you, too, can bring the eclectic and wonderfully unique—yet enticingly familiar—flavors of Macau into your own kitchen.