Like Mom used to make

Most of us remember our mom’s cooking fondly, but what do chefs start out eating? I asked Philip Wang, executive chef at Mason’s Restaurant (1116 15th Street, (916) 492-1960), about his memories of his mother’s cooking:

“My mom was pretty much the best cook I know. A lot of what I cook are her recipes that I’ve changed to be restaurant recipes as opposed to home recipes. I grew up in Indiana, and at friends’ houses, it would be hot dogs for dinner. But I’d come home, and she’d be pulling roast duck out of the oven or making French seafood crepes—fantastic. My father was a Chinese immigrant, so she taught herself to cook Chinese. Her Peking duck was always a treat, and once a month we’d all get together and spend a weekend making dumplings. She hated to cook, but boy was she gifted at it.”