Chef Ming Simply Draws a Crowd

As the Central Street shopping area bustled with shoppers today, Wellesley's own celebrity chef greeted fans with some friendly chit chat and a hot cup of homemade soup.

Ming Tsai, recent "Next Iron Chef" contestant and owner of  restaurant, autographed copies of his new cookbook, "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals," this afternoon at as fans persued the store and sampled Tsai's five-vegetable miso soup.

"I haven't done a book in five years," Tsai told one woman eagerly awaiting his signature.

While Tsai hasn't been publishing cookbooks, he's certainly been active – both in the national spotlight and in Wellesley. Most recently, Tsai, who is known for an "East meets West" approach to cuisine, appeared on the Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef." Tsai, the oldest competitor at 47 and the odds on favorite to win the competition, was surprisingly voted off during the round before the season finale.

In March, Tsai added a quick dining alternative at Blue Ginger, an area staple known both for delicious food and long reservation waiting lists. He opened a noodle bar in the restaurant for quick, moderately priced lunchtime dining.

With his new cookbook, Tsai told Wellesley Patch that fans of his cooking style may not need to leave the house to serve up a favorite Tsai dish.

"It's Blue Ginger food made available at home," he said of the book.

"One-Pot Meals" is organized to be a quick read. Each recipe can be found on one page of the book, and most can be served using, literally, one pot.

"The food's tasty; the cleanup is simple," Tsai said.

Tsai's innovation was rewarded with a packed store of fans at the Booksmith today. Some folks traveled from all over.

Hannah Shrader, a freshman at Boston University, took the commuter rail to Wellesley to see the culinary star. Sharder, hailing originally from Dayton, Ohio, the same town in which Tsai grew up, said she and her father have always looked up to the chef.

"I got this signed for him," she said holding a photo.

Some fans traveled almost an hour to chat with Tsai. Manny Orejola drove from Grafton to have his copy of the book signed and to share a few words about Tsai's "Next Iron Chef" defeat.

"I follow him on TV and I had the opportunity to head here instead of Boston," Orejola said.

Tsai will be at Borders Books at Downtown Crossing in Boston tomorrow, and at Barnes & Noble in Framingham Tuesday.

While Tsai's signature restaurant is in Wellesley, it's always an occasion when the busy chef makes a public appearance, according to Wellesley Booksmith owner Gillian Kohli.

"Of course, we're delighted he's here," she said.