To live in California these days is to live in the crossroads of a global society and a global table. Or put it this way: The Californian palate had shifted along with the state's demographic, where one in four is now an immigrant.

Sometimes talent comes in waves. The world wakes up, and we find ourselves inundated with British rock stars, Dominican ballplayers or Jewish novelist...

"The title of celebrity chef is sort of bogus. Do we have celebrity shoemakers, celebrity butchers? The good news about showcasing chefs and the TV shows is they've attracted a lot more smart kids to the profession than 30 years ago."

For many years I kept saying that I was going to learn how to cook Chinese dishes, but somehow never found the time. However, this year, 2011 James Beard Award Winner, Grace Young has a new book, Stir Fry From the Sky's edge.

As the executive chef at New York's Spice Market, which specializes in Southeast Asian street food, I recently traveled to Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand to experience the cuisine firsthand.