The Health Diaries

Chef Anita Lo Is a Recovering Night Owl

The Michelin-starred chef shares food philosophies and tips from her new book on cooking for one

There are many ways to live a healthy life. The Health Diaries is a weekly series about the habits that keep notable people living well.

Chef Anita Lo thrives on being busy. You have to be if you’ve worked in the restaurant industry for a few decades. Today, Lo’s schedule is more relaxed — at least by her standards. The chef and former Michelin-starred restaurant owner is debuting a new cookbook called Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One, all about how to cook for yourself. Lo spoke to Medium about her personal approach to food, wellness, and waste.

I’ve always been a night owl, even when I was a child, and 30 years in the restaurant industry solidified it. It got really bad at one point where I was getting up around noon. But now that I don’t own a restaurant, I’m getting up around 10:30 a.m. I don’t use an alarm clock.

The first thing I like to do after I wake up is drink coffee and read the paper and play Words with Friends. I usually drink a pour-over from Joe the Art of Coffee with milk.