Irene Li

Food Columnist

Irene Li operates Mei Mei Street Kitchen and Mei Mei Restaurant in Boston, and works to drive the industry forward in ethical sourcing and fair employment practices. A Boston native and Cornell University graduate, Irene has worked on farms, taught in prisons and watched hours of YouTube videos on food and cooking. Since 2012, Mei Mei has been featured by Food & Wine, Eater Boston & National, The New York Times, Restaurant Hospitality, People, Bon Appetit, The Boston Globe and more. She is an Eater Young Gun, Zagat 30 Under 30 and Forbes 30 Under 30 winner and four-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semi-finalist.

Recently published

What's In Our Food Matters — Yes, Even What's In That Ice Cream Cone

We have to push past the nostalgia that keeps us from asking important questions about what we’re paying for and putting in our bodies. Only then can we earnestly engage...

Local Coverage

Jul 19, 2019

Accessibility Is Hospitality: Why The Restaurant Industry Needs To Catch Up

As spaces designed for hospitality, restaurants have a unique opportunity and responsibility to attend to the needs of diners with disabilities, writes Irene Li.

Local Coverage

Jun 27, 2019

A customer checks the firmness of fresh okra at Doris Berry Produce stand in Jackson, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

The World Wildlife Fund recommended eating 50 foods to help preserve the planet's species. We chose five tasty options you can find easily in New England.

Local Coverage

Jun 7, 2019

Restaurant criticism at major newspapers has largely been dominated by white men.

For Our Food Culture To Diversify, Our Restaurant Criticism Needs To, Too

With a diverse crop of restaurant critics taking over at West Coast newspapers, a whole new group of chefs will enjoy the possibility of being understood and acknowledged on their...

Local Coverage

May 20, 2019

This year's James Beard Award winners represented a diverse swath of identities. (Courtesy)

Diversity Was Served At The James Beard Awards, But Largely Missing From Boston's Diet

I am wondering why chefs of color telling deeply personal stories are so few and far between in our city, even as they grow more present on national lists, writes...

Local Coverage

May 8, 2019

Chef and writer of the Netflix series "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" Samin Nosrat poses for a photo during the Netflix portrait session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton hotel on Sunday, July 29, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

The Powerful Whimsy Of 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' Star Samin Nosrat

“Who is profiting here? Who is getting the credit? Who has historically been powerless or powerful? Those are the questions I’m drawn to," says," 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' star Samin...

Local Coverage

Apr 26, 2019

In Massachusetts, about 1 out of 9 people are SNAP beneficiaries. (Danny Moloshok/AP for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health)

Let's Really Talk About SNAP And Food Insecurity

As politicians continue to debate SNAP with facts and figures, we can inform ourselves in a different way: by listening to the real stories of those who face food insecurity...

Local Coverage

Apr 9, 2019

On the left, a conventional beef burger. On the right, "The Impossible Burger," a plant-based burger containing wheat protein, coconut oil and potato protein among. (Nati Harnik/AP)

Will Changing Definitions Of Meat Affect How We Think About Our Values?

Diet and identity are closely linked -- we are what we eat. Not eating meat or meat products can be “a public declaration of one’s identity." Consuming meat can play...

Local Coverage

Mar 18, 2019

Let's Stop Putting Immigrant-Owned Restaurants Into A Box

Immigrant-owned restaurants are all too often trapped in an alternate economy that disincentivizes innovation and creativity, writes Irene Li.

Local Coverage

Mar 11, 2019

Italian food holds a unique grip on Boston. (Courtesy of Deva Darshan)

Will A More Diverse Boston Lose Its Obsession With Italian Food?

As much as Irene Li loves to eat Italian food, she suspects that its dominance locally is the result of a complex set of historical social inequalities -- and social...

Local Coverage

Feb 11, 2019