Kat Lieu is an activist, cookbook author, and recipe developer. Born in Montreal and raised in Brooklyn, she graduated from SUNY Downstate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Physical Therapy. After more than a decade as a clinician and educator, she discovered a passion for food, storytelling, and community and transitioned into the world of baking.
In 2020, Kat founded Subtle Asian Baking (SAB), a global online community that now connects hundreds of thousands of bakers across the world. Through SAB, she’s helped raise over $100,000 for fundraisers and charities and inspired a new generation of bakers to embrace using ingredients like fish sauce, MSG, and miso in their baking.
Kat is the author of three celebrated cookbooks, including Modern Asian Baking at Home (a Publisher’s Weekly bestseller and IACP award winner), Modern Asian Kitchen (named one of Amazon’s Best Cookbooks of 2024), and her upcoming book 108 Asian Cookies (Voracious, 2025). Her recipes often weave together Asian flavors with classic Western techniques and her writing has appeared in Parade, Simply Recipes, Allrecipes, Modern Asian Baking, and Tasting Table. She also speaks and writes widely about reclaiming ingredients like MSG, identity in food culture, and building creative careers.
Since launching her career as a writer, Kat has developed hundreds of recipes, blending playful innovation with cultural storytelling. Favorite topics include Asian-inspired cookies, whimsical flavor mashups, and the nostalgic treats she shares with her son, Philip. She also puts her heart into mentoring creators and advocating for Asian American voices in publishing and medi,a and she volunteers on the board of the Very Asian Foundation.
Currently, Kat lives in the Seattle area with her husband, son, mother, and her forever puppy, Panda. When Kat is not writing or baking, she can be found browsing Asian markets, sipping matcha, playing recipes, and dreaming of the streets of Tokyo, a favorite family destination.
