Kimlai Yingling writes about food as a way to connect with her biracial family

For our final installment of New Real Influencers (sponsored by Ford Motor Company), we had the best time talking to Kimlai Yingling, a professional chef, host, producer, and food writer for the site she founded, EatinAsian.com, where you can find all sorts of recipes (like Super Bowl snacks for introverts and cheese jalapeño beer bread, *drools*). Kimlai tells us that, growing up, cooking was a way for her to deepen her understanding and connection with her biracial family and culture. When she and her mother emigrated to America, her mom was learning how to cook American food, while Kimlai learned how to cook Vietnamese food.

In our New Real Influencers series, we’ve not only highlighted the different career paths badass women have taken, but have presented real advice that they’ve given. Kimlai’s? How to be an awesome dinner host, of course. Her first tip involves finding something yummy to rim your cocktail glasses. Simple, easy, your guests will love it, and you’ll feel like a genius. Watch the rest to learn more about Kimlai’s background, how she got into cooking, and some quick tricks to learn before having friends over for drinks and food.