About StreetSmart Kitchen

Have you ever been staring at a certain ingredient in a grocery store and wondered, “How do I cook THAT?”

Have you ever stumbled upon an image of a gorgeous plate of food on Pinterest and thought, “Oh my gosh! This looks flawlessly beautiful. How on earth do I make THAT?”

Or perhaps you are a busy parent and you suspect you don’t have the time or the patience to do anything that doesn’t look practical.

I’ve been in the same boat. Hi, my name is Sharon Chen, the creator behind StreetSmart Kitchen and a seeker of anything that makes our time in the kitchen short, sweet, and enjoyable.

In 2013, I moved to the States from my hometown, Shanghai, China, leaving my commercial real estate career, my family, and my friends behind to start a new chapter of life.

As a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant, I had no clue about a lot of things here in the States. I also had no clue about cooking. The first time I visited a Whole Foods Market in San Francisco, I found myself standing in front of the produce section staring at the fresh vegetables that I had never seen in my entire life.

Curiosity led to a lot of Googling and practicing in the kitchen. The joy of cooking and gathering my loved ones through healthy homemade dishes slowly and steadily became a big part of my new life. So I thought, if I can cook, anyone can cook.

That’s why I started StreetSmart Kitchen, where I strive to help you cook healthy and delicious meals for your family. But I don’t always play by the rules. I go out of my way to find shortcuts, smart methods, and practical tricks to make the cooking process quick and fun so you can spend more time enjoying and eating with your loved ones.

Now, let’s be clear—cooking is only fun when you know how to do it and do it the smart way.

Whether you have a fully equipped kitchen or a small one that has minimal appliances, you’ll find all the resources you need to get started.

• Useful how-to guides to answer your burning questions and surprise you with what you’d never thought you could do. Got a question but can’t find the answer? Contact me. I read every email and respond as soon as I can.
• Practical tips for prepping and batch-cooking beforehand. It’ll get the most stressful part of cooking out of your way so you can easily put good food on the table and enjoy the rewarding result every single time.
• Tried and true recipes that take minimal time and effort using easy-to-find, wholesome, fresh, and unprocessed ingredients.
• Unlike many other food sites telling you a recipe is “quick” and “easy” just to grab your attention, I won’t. When it’s quick and easy, I mean it!

I believe that you are what you eat. When you eat well, you are healthy. And when you are healthy, you are happy and positive. And when you are happy and positive, good things happen TO you – in your relationships, in your career, and in every other area in your life.

Before we start, I have a simple request: you’ll need to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things, whether it’s an unfamiliar cuisine or an ingredient that you’ve never used before because eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up your right to enjoy a variety of delicious food.

Are you ready to be street-smart in your kitchen? I look forward to connecting with you!