The Pang Family

The Pang Family: a lineage of passionate cooks, creative entrepreneurs, and ever-hungry eaters.

Jeremy says,

"On both sides (both mums and dads) my familial lineage is filled with hungry, passionate people, with a desire to share good food and gather family together.

Mum’s side is from Guandong (Canton) where our family there still owns a popular hotel and large restaurant. I remember visiting when I was a teenager and being amazed at how they roasted their ducks and bbq pork. They had a round 'walk-in' traditional roasting oven made out of thick walls of clay, with a a big chimney at the top. There were small wind tunnels built into the sides of the wall to create a natural 'wind drying' process whilst hanging the meat on the inside walls above coal pits. This elaborate set up was just amazing, and inspired me even then.

My dad's family originated from a town near by Shanghai on his mums side and Jiangxi (central south China) on his dad's side. The first time I travelled there, we were greeted with an entourage of police cars and motorbikes and bicycles - each one carrying huge long lines of fire crackers to let the rest of the families in the village know that we had arrived and should be fed! There are 1000 Pangs in the town! Banquet after banquet we feasted for over twenty four hours, we’d never eaten so much or for so long."

Kowloon Bakery

"Both of my parents grew up in Hong Kong, migrating to the UK in the 60’s. Mum’s father, Tim Ho, was a Chinese baker and dim sum specialist back in Hong Kong. When they moved to London he opened Kowloon Bay Bakery (now called Kowloon Restaurant) on Gerard Street. Later granddad sold the bakery and moved to Manchester to open up a new shop- Ho’s Bakery, which was passed onto my uncles when Grandad wanted to retire. Ho's bakery is still running now and is proudly one of the first serious establishments in Manchester’s Chinatown.

Dad’s family migrated after spending years on living in a refugee camp, a far more serious life than we could ever imagine. When they migrated to the UK in the 60’s my Grandma opened a little take away called Dragon. So Dad and his seven siblings all grew up in the kitchen of the restaurant, learning the trade, how to be efficient, how to run a business etc. though in the end no one ended up taking over the business. All the uncles on my dad's side are still incredibly competitive in the kitchen and never give away their secrets. They seem to get a kick out of telling you how not to do something and then tell you why their recipe is better!

So I come from a long line of eaters, gathers, and hard workers. Proud to carry on the feasting and feeding tradition that lies in the heart of every Pang."