About Amy Dong
Title: Founder of Chew Out Loud, Recipe Developer, Food photographer, Author
Located: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Education: B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. M.A. from Pepperdine University, California
Expertise: Strategies for cooking smarter, not harder. Amy’s cooking expertise include:
- Easy Dinner Recipes for families and gatherings.
- Healthier Asian Recipes, way better than takeout.
- Fish and Seafood Recipes that are restaurant quality but easy to make at home.
- 30-Minute Meals and Make-Ahead Meal Prep for busy families.
Social Media: Amy shares great cooking hacks and super seasonal recipes on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Experience
Amy Dong is the founder and owner of Chew Out Loud. Since 2011, Amy has been sharing tried-and-true recipes passed down from generations, while testing and re-testing new recipes for her readers. This site now has nearly 1,000 reliable recipes that millions of readers have come to trust.
Amy is the head recipe developer and photographer of Chew Out Loud, and has written digital cookbooks with delicious recipes you’ll want on rotation. She focuses on easy dinners to share with others, crowd-pleasing desserts, better-than-takeout recipes, and is especially skilled at cooking fish and seafood. Her popular mahi mahi recipe can be made by any home cook!
What sets Amy apart isn’t just cooking knowledge – it’s a lifetime of cooking under pressure. She grew up in her family’s humble restaurant, started cooking for her household at age 13, and raised three very active boys on homemade meals seven days of the week. Takeout and fast food were a rare treat for her hectic family. As a busy mom, she learned to cook smarter, not harder. She’s an expert at meal prepping and transforming pantry staples into food that everyone actually wants to eat.
Amy holds advanced degrees from UCLA and Pepperdine University, and brings the same rigor and attention to detail to her recipe development that she applied to her academic work – because she knows you don’t have time to waste on recipes that don’t deliver.
Amy’s recipes have been featured in many large publications, including Good Morning America, Huff Post, Elle, Country Living, Parade, Pioneer Woman, BuzzFeed, Marquis Who’s Who of America, and Tasty.
One of Amy’s favorite joys is discovering the best restaurants in any city she travels to, and is a Yelp Elite restaurant reviewer for Twin Cities/Minneapolis.
Join tens of thousands of readers who are getting Amy’s newest recipes through her Free Recipe Club.
Amy’s Fun Facts
- I named this site “Chew Out Loud” because great food is best when talked about, laughed over, and shared around a crowded table. 🥰
- I somehow squeezed my way into the Guinness Book of World Records as a World Marathon Majors runner. Six continents and too many miles. 🏃🏻♀️
- I sometimes eat raw sushi the night before major marathons because life is too short to skip sushi. 🍣
- I burn myself every time I bake. Every. Single. Time. 😩
- I somehow managed to serve homemade dinners for my chaotic family 7 days a week, while raising three sports-obsessed boys. Takeout was rare. Keeping it real, my boys sometimes wished for Mickey D’s. 😅
- Chew Out Loud is committed to making a global and local impact. We provide food and clean water globally, as well as partner with local homeless shelters to provide essential needs. Feeding people has always been the mission. 🌎
Why This Site Exists
I didn’t start Chew Out Loud because I went to culinary school or because I even fathomed it could someday become my work. I started it because I had spent my whole life figuring out who to feed people well – with limited time, a full fridge that needed using up, and 3 hungry boys waiting at the table.
My parents’ tiny restaurant taught me that delicious food is a wonderful way to love others, and now my kitchen is still the place where hungry teens and grown-ups gather. My rigorous marathon training taught me that nourishing your body is essential. And raising a family on a jam-packed schedule taught me that busy doesn’t mean giving up on home cooked meals – we just need to get smarter about it.
Every recipe here is built for real life. That means fewer dishes, smarter techniques, ingredients that are easily accessible, and flavors that make you a total rockstar at dinnertime (an occasional dessert doesn’t hurt your popularity, either).
You’ve got this. I’ll show you how.
Looking to Work with Me?
Chew Out Loud will consider partnering with brands that truly align with the needs and interests of our readers—busy families looking for approachable, delicious recipes that make life easier for them. If your brand shares that mission, I’d love to explore ways we can work together.
I offer a variety of opportunities, including recipe development, blog features, social media campaigns, and more.
To discuss potential partnerships, please reach out via email: amy@chewoutloud.com or through our contact form.