Katie Kwan originally joined All Day Kitchens as our very first Culinary Sales Engineer. Though her role has evolved since then, one thing hasn’t changed –  everything she touches is infused with her love for crafting amazing experiences around food.

Most of Katie’s 8 years of culinary experience comes from her time as chef and owner of Rice Paper Scissors, a pioneer in the restaurant pop-up scene in San Francisco. Not only did Rice Paper Scissors help revolutionize pop-ups into the common creative outlet they are today, they were also early partners with tech-catering companies like ZeroCater. Rice Paper Scissors amassed an incredibly supportive community of creators within the food arts industry and a loyal customer following. That list includes Anthony Bourdain, who featured them on a 2012 episode of The Layover.

While Rice Paper Scissors no longer serves food, the project still exists as a place for Katie and her business partner to explore new ways of gathering communities around a table sharing experiences. You can find out more here. 

How does your culinary background influence the R&D work you do at All Day Kitchens?

Being an entrepreneur means that by nature you have hustle in you. As chef and owner at Rice Paper Scissors, I wore a lot of hats. Now at All Day Kitchens, I can channel that self starter drive into my role as a Menu Process Engineer. I’m able to consider a host of different factors – menus, marketing, economics, etc – as I work with our restaurant partners.

What excites you the most about working at All Day Kitchens?

The fact that All Day Kitchens is where food and tech comes together – that’s a vital part. And our innovation! The best part of Rice Paper Scissors was creating new ways to experience food. That’s still a constant at All Day Kitchens – we’re developing new, imaginative and fun ways  to eat and enjoy food.

What do you love to do when not in the kitchen? 

One of my biggest pandemic projects was to start a garden! I really love growing fruits and vegetables. Recently I also started baby stepping into flowers. I love the idea of having just a few seeds in your hands but ultimately feeding and nourishing yourself, and sharing that knowledge with others.