We are a reservations-only cooking school, dining venue, and event space in the heart of old Beijing. Chinese-American author Jen Lin-Liu opened Black Sesame Kitchen in 2008 to promote the understanding of Chinese cuisine and to create a convivial setting for socializing and exchange between China and the rest of the world. Since 2008, we’ve been cooking in the back alleys of Beijing. Our mission is to bring people around the world together through unique culinary experiences. Located in a traditional courtyard near the moat of the Forbidden City, Black Sesame Kitchen opened in 2008.
The cooking school and dining space developed out of founder Jen Lin-Liu’s passion for Chinese food. A Chinese-American author, Jen has shared her travel and cooking experiences in China and around the world in two culinary memoirs, Serve the People and On the Noodle Road. Jen originally started Black Sesame Kitchen in a small space within a traditional Chinese courtyard shared among eight families in the back alleys of Beijing. Creating an open kitchen and dining room, she invited friends over to cook, wine, dine, and socialize. Since then, Black Sesame Kitchen has expanded into its own courtyard and has received numerous awards and honors, including being mentioned in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Jen’s original cooking mentor Zhang Aifeng leads the team as Black Sesame Kitchen’s executive chef, along with dining manager Coco Yue.
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