Chef Ron Hsu blends Chinese cuisine with Southern flavors in first cookbook

Two photos on the left and right, and chef Ron Hsu sits at the WABE studio in the middle
Atlanta chef Ron Hsu’s new cookbook features recipes that mix Chinese and Southern American cultures, such as soy-braised chicken and kimchi and okra stew. (Rinne Allen/Abrams and LaShawn Hudson/WABE)

It’s been seven years since chef Ron Hsu, alongside his siblings and business partner, opened Lazy Betty in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood: 

The restaurant quickly rose to fame, eventually moving to Midtown and being awarded a Michelin star. But the story starts much earlier, with Ron’s mother inspiring not only the name of the restaurant but also its atmosphere.

“Everything she did for me growing up really informed what we ended up doing at Lazy Betty,” Hsu said.