Ken Hom is regarded as one of the world's greatest authorities on Oriental food and he still tirelessly travels the world making TV appearances, writing books and consulting on restaurants. In September 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University for his 'outstanding success with the international food world' and he was also appointed 'Founding Patron of Oxford Gastronomica',
He began his culinary career in his uncle's restaurant in Chicago and went on to teach at California's Culinary Academy. After a spell studying gastronomy in France, an article in the New York Times led to his first television series in 1984. In total, he has presented five BBC TV series, which have been transmitted internationally and written over 30 cookery books.
