Bruce Cost has studied, cooked, served and thought about Asian food for more than 30 years. As a teacher, journalist, author and restaurant chef, he has worked with Chinese food from every angle. Among his accomplishments:

• Opened Monsoon in San Francisco, Ginger Island, Berkeley, California, Ginger Club in Palo Alto, California; and Big Bowl Restaurants with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago
• Published Bruce Cost's Asian Ingredients (Morrow, re-published in fall of 2003 by HarperCollins), Ginger East to West (Addison-Wesley) and Big Bowl Noodles and Rice (HarperCollins). He will soon publish, as co-translator, a translation of the world's oldest collection of recipes from a 5th century Chinese manuscript. He was also part of the team that contributed to the recent update of The Joy of Cooking
• Wrote for major newspaper food sections, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times
• Taught cooking in San Francisco, New York and at the CIA Greystone

Currently, Cost lives in Chicago and is developing restaurant concepts with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.