Lorraine Lee Witte – known to San Francisco food enthusiasts as “The Chinese Lady,” began her career as the TV commercial spokeswoman for Chun King Foods. From the beginning, Lorraine knew that if Asian cooking (especially Chinese) was to seriously influence western cuisine and become a national (even international) food addiction, people would have to experience taste sensations far more diverse and delicious than egg rolls, chow mien and crispy noodles.

In the mid-70’s, Lorraine created her own Mandarin and Cantonese recipes, and taught Chinese cooking classes in the Los Angeles area — Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Holmby Hills, and Malibu. Read more about Lorraine Witte.

The popularity of Lorraine’s classes grew and she ended up creating a very successful “cottage food industry” of frozen hors d’oeuvres – everything from bite-sized stuffed crepes, to exotic little egg rolls, to a variety of mousses in their own chocolate cups.

By the late 1980s Lorraine began working with Dr. George York, director of food science and technology at UC Davis. With Dr. York, Lorraine created a four product
line of gourmet foods: Ginger Zip (a cooking concentrate), Open Sesame (a
unique sesame oil and peanut dressing), Plum Delicious (a piquant dipping sauce for
hors d’oeuvres), and Cocoa Caprice (a chocolate fudge sauce).

Lorraine now resides in San Francisco, California and she teaches cooking classes at upscale gourmet stores, demonstrates designer appliances, consults with restaurants and coordinates small parties for select clientele.