George Chew was born in 1950 and grew up in New York’s Chinatown. His family immigrated from Hainan, a province in Southern China. His father was not home often for work. He enjoyed his father’s cooking, and eventually learned to cook on his own. His skillset grew while he moved to Washington to study law. Now an immigration judge, Chew continues to cook and hold banquets. Of these gatherings, he cooks both western and Chinese food. Chew gets his influence from cook books and learns to adapt recipes to be his own. He believes that good ingredients are the key. While contributing to a potluck, Chew’s dish won a competition he did not know about. He went on to compete at a national cookoff in Chicago. Chew was a poet and currently a lawyer. Though, he is immensely proud of his contribution to Chinese cuisine.