Ramen Made Simple

Author: Chris Toy

Publisher: Rockridge Press

Publication Date: March 30, 2021

Chris has been teaching Asian cooking for over 35 years. Adopted by Alfred and Grace Toy, a Chinese American couple who served in the US Army, in 1958 he was the first Chinese adoptee from Hong Kong to arrive in the United States. He grew up near Boston, graduating from Quincy Public Schools, Bowdoin College, and Brown University where he earned a master’s degree in teaching. A retired teacher, principal, and international educational consultant Chris learned Asian cooking in his family’s home and restaurant kitchens. As an adult, he has explored and become skilled at creating new Asian recipes that incorporate fresh local ingredients. Chris started teaching cooking on weekends at The Whip and Spoon kitchen store in Portland, Maine, supplementing his first job teaching high school economics, law, and social studies. The combination of teaching and cooking immediately resonated with him. Today, in addition to teaching regularly at local kitchen stores Chris teaches adult education classes and multi-day retreats in several communities around Bath, Maine where he lives with his wife Joan. Chris’s popular hands-on classes are built around his teaching skills and deep appreciation for fresh, simply prepared food. Chris’s cooking incorporates straightforward methods, fresh ingredients, and unique flavors drawing family and friends together to enjoy great food and company. When not sharing his love of cooking, Chris, a registered Maine guide, enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, camping in the woods and waters of Maine’s great outdoors, and volunteering at a local soup kitchen. Of course, preparing and sharing good food is always a highlight of his excursions. You can find Chris online at ChrisToy.net, on Facebook, or on his YouTube cooking channel: YouTube.com/user/cmtoy