Meet Mrs.Paola Fung | Private Chef and Owner of “Mrs. Paola” Catering

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mrs.Paola Fung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mrs.Paola, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Lima, Perú but my background is 100 % Chinese. My grandparents on both sides moved from China to Peru. The fusion between Chinese and Peruvian food is something I have always been exposed to. I grew up cooking in my parents’ restaurants, which they first opened in Lima’s Central Market back in the 80s, when the “Chifa” (a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant, from the words “chi,” meaning eat, and “fan” meaning rice) was a relatively new concept. My mom worked on food distribution, while my dad ran the restaurants. He would have me step on beer crates to reach the counter, hand me a butcher knife (the kind I would never let my kids even come close to), and teach me how to cook.
Later on, I went to college for hotel management, and as part of the degree, I also took some classes in culinary arts.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The whole thing was a gradual and organic process. I started the business while I was pregnant with my first child. People in the Peruvian community of Southern California started asking me to cook for them at parties and then at larger events for their friends and family.
Then it was birthdays, baptisms, weddings, and through word of mouth the jobs got bigger and more frequent.
When I first moved to the States, I would only ride my bike, so this limited the number of jobs I could take at the beginning and also learn and investigate where to find all my ingredients. but once I got a car, I was able to buy proper cookware, my ingredients, and expand my catering business. Like many businesses in the food industry, the pandemic definitely put things on hold for me, and it was then that I was approached by a family to become a private chef. Being a private chef has provided me with a steady income and stability, which allows me to be more selective about the events I want to do. As much as I loved cooking as a child, I don’t want my kids to grow up the way I did, being stuck at a restaurant on weekends. So, I take turns with my husband to watch them on weekends. If neither of us has a gig, we all go on a trip together.
What sets me apart is my cultural background, the innate fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine, and I have since learned to make so many kinds of food, from Mexican, to European, to vegan, etc. If there is a new dish I’m asked to make, I do the research, watch videos, put my own spin on it, and deliver a delicious meal.
I also want to emphasize the importance of keeping things organized. I’m extremely meticulous, not only in the preparation of the food but also in its presentation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If someone were to visit from Peru, I would take them to things that we don’t have there. They might seem like more ordinary places here, but something like an IHOP, Denny’s, Norm’s restaurants might blow someone’s mind if they’re not used to such a thing. I love hiking, I’m still exploring around Los Angeles, there are so many places in town and still on my Bucket List, theme parks are most of the places what usually the people wants to go at least once in their life since we don’t have anyonein Peru. I’m personally love theme parks and If they’re up for it, I’ll take them for sure. I also take them hiking to the Hollywood sign, Escondido Falls, Oretga Falls, and any other cool place in town where I know we don’t have something like in Perú. For theme parks, I would take them to Six Flags and ride the thriller coasters on the first row always , Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood and of course Disneylan too, we’d skip the Peruvian restaurants since there is no way to compare any place in L.A when you just recently arrived to the USA. I’ll take them instead to the famous buffets in Las Vegas, Gudetama Cafe or any other place what I know we don’t have in Perú and make them feel they are in another country while they are with another peruvian lol.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
To my kids Kai-Lani and Keana-Lu ( Kaki & Moo Moo). I used to be full time mom until the day we celebrated my son’s 1st Birthday Party. I cooked for more than 100 guests, and after that 1st birthday party I received so many calls from people asking me to cook for them, so that’s how my whole business started. Also some of my husband’s friends told him to convince me to cook for then to introduce me when I came to the USA (October 2008) so I cooked Peruvian Seafood for them. One of the friends fell in love for the food and asked me if can I cook for her daughter’s Graduation Party coming soon, she offered to pay me to cook for around 30 people instead to order from a restaurant, after that the history continued until today, I’m going to cook once again for the same person pretty soon (August 10th 2024) but at this time for adding 100 people. She’s celebrating her Wedding Anniversary, also the same lady calls me every year for her Annual School Reunion with always no less than 30 guests tocook for a private lunch for them, this one is the 5th year in a row every October, so it’s coming soon too.

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