Meet Kristie Hang | Food and Travel Journalist, Blogger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristie Hang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I always let the interviewee direct how and where the interview and conversation will go. Sometimes the best quote or content you’ll get from speaking with someone is when you end the interview and ask if there’s anything else they’d like to add that you haven’t already asked them.

I believe in telling good stories and getting to know the person behind the brand and business. This applies to my reporting, my content making, and whatever I’m doing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am proud of many professional accomplishments over the years including being featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, being apart of many award winning tv series, and also being a go-to food journalist for Eater in Los Angeles.

When I was in graduate school for Journalism, my professors told the class that we would all have to move to a small market in the middle of no where in order to jump start our broadcast careers and be successful. Most of my graduating class in Broadcast Journalism no longer works in the industry. I am proud to have defied those odds and have “made it” while staying true to myself and following my dreams.

I have a love of food, travel, and Asian culture and traditions. All those things may seem like they don’t have to do with one another, but I was able to turn that into my brand and stay in Los Angeles while traveling the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the SGV, the San Gabriel Valley. There’s so much rich history in the area that I always recommend anyone from out of town make a visit when they come to Los Angeles.

Boba shops on every street? Yes. Sichuan peppercorns that leave your tongue numb and on fire? Check. Singaporean Hainan Chicken and freshly made hand-pulled noodles? You bet. Los Angeles locals know that the best Chinese food in Los Angeles is not found in historic Chinatown, but the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles. Known as “the 626” after its area code, the valley is home to Southern California’s most populous Asian American community.

Chinese, Filipino, Southeast Asian, and Japanese immigrants began settling in the valley in the mid-19th century. After World War II, it became an enclave for manufacturing businesses, owned by Mexican American and Asian Americans, due to its proximity to East Los Angeles, Little Tokyo, and what was then a bustling Chinatown. Japanese Americans who returned from the internment camps also found the area much more welcoming for homeownership than other parts of Los Angeles.

The SGV is not only are they worth a visit for the food, but a visit to 626 offers a glimpse of how Chinese immigration to Los Angeles has shaped our food culture in the City of Angels.

And if you follow me on Instagram, I post all my go-tos for the area and for Los Angeles in general for where you need to visit!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Big shoutout goes to my family, of course, but also to the many people over the years that trusted me to tell their story and do it justice no matter what form of media it was through. I am equally as grateful when I am on national tv talking about food and culture as when I am taking to a mom and pop shop owner that is teaching me all about their family recipes.

Website: www.kristiehang.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kristiehang

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiehang

Image Credits
Steven Lam