About

Hi there! I’m Jess Dang, and I created Cook Smarts in 2012 with a belief that the ability to cook simple and real food could contribute to a healthier, happier world.

I started out by providing in-home cooking lessons throughout the Bay Area. This experience helped me see that most home cooks just lacked the building blocks to cooking. No one had ever taught them how to prep efficiently or use a knife correctly, so it was easy to become frustrated and discouraged in the kitchen.

My goal was to help solve these common cooking challenges by creating products, tools, and information to empower home cooks to navigate confidently through the kitchen.

With the help of a larger team, Cook Smarts now creates weekly meal plans, cooking guides and infographics, and online cooking lessons, all designed to help anyone build a strong cooking foundation.