CHIFAN NYC | Cultural Heritage and Identity through Food And Nutrition

Our Team

Our team combines expertise in education and nutrition, along with diverse backgrounds that strengthen and uplift one another.

Danying Li

Founder, Executive Director

Danying Li graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a B.S. in dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. In 2022, she obtained her M.S. in Human Nutrition from the Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition. In addition to CHIFAN, she currently practices as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in New York City. Danying is deeply committed to using food as a bridge between culture, identity, and health. She founded CHIFAN with the belief that food is more than nourishment - it’s a story, a connection to the community’s roots, and a powerful tool for education.

Eric Wang

Co-Founder, Research Director

Eric graduated from the College of Arts and Science at New York University in 2021 with a B.A. in Biochemistry. Subsequently, he pursued an M.S. in Human Nutrition at the Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition, graduating in 2022. Upon completing his M.S. degree, he matriculated into the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in 2023, where he currently attends as a medical student. Eric was inspired to join his fellow co-founders, Danying and Chumin, through connection with his own Chinese American heritage and identity. By working directly in the communities that shaped him to be who he is today, Eric is dedicated to CHIFAN’s mission of providing the highest quality nutrition education that places cultural heritage at the forefront.

Chumin Wu

Co-Founder, Branding & Outreach Director

Chumin is a UI/UX designer with a background in graphic design and marketing branding. She established CHIFAN’s visual design system and integrated creative ideas into classes. Meanwhile, she provides problem-solving and optimizes each specific prompt and workflow to facilitate more effective expertise focus for the team. As both a designer and a foodie, she sees food as a bridge that carries family memories and cultural heritage, and as one of the most natural ways to understand and embrace different cultures. Through CHIFAN, Chumin weaves food, design, and art into playful experiences that inspire youth and families to celebrate culture, creativity, and diversity.

Ya Gao

Program Development Director

Ya Gao graduated from UC Davis in 2020 with a B.S. in Food Science and Technology. In 2022, she earned her Master’s in Human Nutrition from Columbia University's Institute of Human Nutrition. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Behavioral Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University. As a curriculum developer for CHIFAN, Ya brings her expertise in behavioral nutrition theories and models to advance the program’s curriculum. Ya believes that nutrition education is key to early disease prevention, especially for rapidly growing children. Using a theory-based educational framework ensures that underlying factors critical to behavior change—such as self-efficacy, social norms, knowledge and skills, and perceived barriers—are addressed effectively.

Jialu Shou

Co-Education Director

Jialu Shou earned her B.S. in Food and Nutrition from Queens College, CUNY, and completed her Dietetic Internship in 2023. She pursued her M.S. in Human Nutrition at the Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition. In 2023, she joined CHIFAN as an instructor and became the instructor leader in 2024. She currently practices as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in New York City. Jialu believes that food is fundamental to who we are. Different cultures and dietary traditions shape the diversity of our world, and children—our future—deserve the opportunity to explore their own cultural foods and understand the nutritional knowledge behind them. This passion for connecting food, culture, and education is what inspired her to join CHIFAN.

Gigi Bao

Co-Education Director

Gigi earned her B.A. in Chemistry from Boston University in 2022, followed by an M.S. in Human Nutrition from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University in 2024. Currently based in California, she works as an after-school cooking program teacher while actively pursuing a career as a registered dietitian. As our Education Director, Gigi draws on her hands-on teaching experience to support and mentor our volunteer instructors, helping them grow and thrive in their roles.

Xiaoge Gao

Curriculum Development Advisor, Analyzer

Dr. Gao recently earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Nutrition from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of nutrition interventions, with a particular emphasis on improving dietary behaviors through evidence-based education strategies. She has extensive experience in public health nutrition, nutrition epidemiology, and program evaluation, with a strong interest in maternal and child nutrition.