Grace Zia Chu (1899–1999), who was the author of her landmark books, “The Pleasures of Chinese Cooking” (1962) and “Madame Chu’s Chinese Cooking School” (1975), introduced Chinese cooking and cuisine to generations of Americans. Born on April 23, 1899, in Shanghai, China, Chu was the eldest of nine siblings and the daughter of Sochen Sze and Zia Hong-lai, who, at the time, was a Christian educator and editor. Chu attended the McTyeire School for Girls in Shanghai and graduated in 1918. Following, she received a full scholarship to Wellesley College where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1924. After graduating from Wellesley, she returned to China and taught at her alma mater McTyeire School for Girls and Ginling College in Nanjing. Soon, Chu became the vice president of the world Young Women’s Christian Association from 1935 to 1947. In 1928, Chu married Chu Shih-ming, who was an aide-de-camp to Chiang Kai-shek. In 1955, Chu became a permanent resident of the United States and settled in Manhattan, New York, where she hosted cooking classes at the China Institute, her apartment on West 111th Street, and the Mandarine House restaurant for 30 years.
