Dunlop, Fuchsia: - Fuchsia Dunlop was the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, and has been traveling around China, researching and cooking Chinese food, for thirty years. Her James Beard Award-winning and best-selling books include The Food of Sichuan, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, Every Grain of Rice, and Land of Fish and Rice, several of which are now published in translation in China. Based in London, she speaks, reads, and writes Chinese.

Wilson, Bee: - Bee Wilson is a home cook, journalist, and the author of seven books on food-related subjects and one cookbook. The cofounder of TastEd, she writes for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the London Review of Books, and the New York Times. She lives in Cambridge, England.