Jing Gao

Make it spicy… and personal.

Jing Gao (she/her), founder and CEO of Fly By Jing, was born in Chengdu, but grew up all over the world. A tech job in her 20s found her back in China, connecting to the food of the Sichuan region. “I became absolutely enamored with the flavor, textures and nuances of the cuisine,” she says, which led her to studying with Chinese master chefs (jealous). One thing led to another and Jing opened a restaurant in Shanghai, then made Fly By Jing into a traveling supper club, where she would stuff all these ingredients into a suitcase (because you couldn’t find them anywhere else!) and cook whenever and wherever. People loved the food, which led to her launching her first product (Sichuan Chili Crisp), but it wasn’t all easy. “For years, I had to fight for acceptance, as a founder who faced dismissal about the perceived value of Chinese food from investors and the public,” Jing remembers.

At the time, she’d been going by Jenny, but the experiences she had sharing her personal connection to Sichuan cuisine had her realizing how she’d been minimizing herself by hiding behind a Western name. She says, “Reclaiming my name was a natural step in this journey of stepping into my own power. And this is why Fly By Jing is so personal—as I reconnected with my heritage, I also came home to Jing.”

If you want to taste just how good these flavors are—and we can confirm because we’ve tried them—check out how to make the scallion pancakes below. Plus, a second recipe. Lucky you!