Meet Joyce, your new food writer for the Hamilton Spectator!

Some of you might already know me — it’s me, Joyce from Joyce of Cooking! And if we haven’t crossed paths yet, let me introduce myself a little more.

First off, I am thrilled to be your new Hamilton Spectator food writer. What an absolute honour to be able to share my love of food, culture, cooking, and this beautiful city with you. This opportunity really means the world to me, and I want to give a huge shout-out and thanks to the previous food writer, Diane Galambos, and the wonderful Hamilton Spectator team for inviting me to the team.

I have huge shoes to fill since Diane has brought fantastic and engaging food stories for years that we all loved. Week after week, she delighted us with her research on food, culture, and the people behind the businesses. Diane and I have known each other for a while now, both being members of The Food Bloggers of Canada. We have shared many meals, chats, and food adventures together and I am lucky to call her a friend. I hope I can make her proud by taking the torch from her and continuing to share these beautiful food stories with you.

So, you might be wondering, who is this Joyce person? Let me tell you a little more about myself. After graduating from the University of Guelph (The hospitality and tourism program. Go Gryphons!), I worked in the restaurant industry for more than 10 years. I worked every role imaginable (yes, from a dishwasher, server, and line cook, to my last gig as a general manager). After many years of 14-hour days and no holidays off, I decided to hang up my restaurant apron and get a 9 to 5 job. Wow, what a change! On the first day of my 9 to 5 job, I was perplexed at how much free time I had. I remember vividly on

my first day eating my lunch in less than five minutes and wondering what to do for the remainder of my lunch hour. There were days of missing the intensity of working a dinner rush, the excitement of meeting new diners daily and finding out why they were visiting, to the makeshift family i built with my staff. I knew I didn’t want to work in a restaurant anymore, but I did know that I still want to be involved in the industry … somehow. My husband suggested I start a food blog where I could share food stories and recipes and that’s when The Joyce of Cooking (www.joyceofcooking.com) was born.

Over the years, my website evolved quite a bit as I tried to find my niche. Right now, on my website, you will find everything from restaurant features, to my favourite recipes, and information on how to sign up for my in-person and virtual Asian cooking classes! Teaching cooking classes has brought a great deal of joy and fulfillment on this food journey of mine. It is so rewarding to see people of all ages learn something completely new within an hour or two. Their pride and sense of accomplishment really fill my cup and after every single cooking class, I am truly touched by the connection with people who attended. Honestly, I can talk for days about my love of teaching people how to cook, but to sum it all up, I want to teach kids, youths, and adults how to cook in hopes to reduce some of the food insecurities we see daily.

I have worked extremely hard on my business and am very proud of where it is at today. One thing I truly pride myself on is making real connections with people. I am hoping I can translate personal connections into the articles I write for the Hamilton Spectator.

For my articles with the Hamilton Spectator, I want to share not only great eateries in our community but I also want to explore the experiences of the managers and restaurant owners. I want to share with you their passion and why they wanted to open their restaurant and how they want YOU to experience their food and service. I want you to learn and experience new cultures and foods and hope that you will give these spots a try to discover them firsthand. On occasion, I will also share more about my Chinese culture and what we like to eat for different holidays, and of course, I will sprinkle in some of my favourite Asian recipes too! I really hope you join me as I eat around the city and explore everything from hidden gems to the local favourites.

JOYCE LEUNG IS FOOD WRITER AND BLOGGER WHO LIVES IN HAMILTON. SHE TEACHES ASIAN COOKING AROUND THE CITY WHEN NOT DINING OUT AND TRYING DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS OF HAMILTON. JOYCE WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT ANY ORGANIZATIONS SHE HAS A SEPARATE BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH.