Tracy Griffith
Tracy Griffith, who has starred in various TV and film productions since her teenage years, was raised in a family of actors. But her passion for food and art propelled her to take a leap into other creative fields. These days, she’s also a specialist in abstract landscapes and is one of the world’s first certified female sushi chefs. Before her appearance at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, she tells Kylie Lee about the loves of her life.
HK: How did your obsession with sushi start off?
TG: I was living in Los Angeles and had been acting for a long time, which I loved, but I just wanted to do something else. My other love, besides painting, is cooking, and my favorite food is sushi, so I thought I’d do something about it. But I didn’t know how to make it and, unlike most food, sushi isn’t something that you can just [make] from a recipe book and figure out. So I decided to study sushi at the California Sushi Academy in Venice, California. After the six-month learning period, I felt like I was just meant to do it—I loved it because it’s so beautiful. You’ve got to think about the colors—this much orange and this much yellow—and you really have to think about the way it looks. The aesthetic of Japanese food is remarkable, and as an artist, I’m very drawn to that. Plus, it tastes so good.
HK: Speaking of being an artist, you had your first exhibition in Hong Kong earlier this year. Could you tell us a bit about your artwork?
TG: My artwork is about colors. I’m in love with color and the way different colors work together. I use resin as the major medium and have been working with it for two years because it gives you many dimensions of colors, and it looks like almost alive! I’m so intrigued by what the resin and acrylic can do together. I love looking at the layers in acrylic colors, so I’m especially fond of this technique. Most of my works are abstract landscapes—there are wings, or horses, and others are just color explosions.
HK: What initially brought you to Hong Kong?
TG: My husband, who runs Ralph Lauren in Hong Kong. I was a Napa girl until we got married about a year ago—we are still newlyweds. He lives here, so I had to come to Hong Kong. I have nothing to complain about, though. I love the city. It’s great.
HK: What does it feel like to be in an artistic family?
TG: I don’t know anything different, but it’s good and I enjoy it. My father was an actor, my mother is an actress, my brother was a designer and my sister was an actress, so we were all in a very similar business for a while. Now I’ve got out of showbiz and become the black sheep! It’s been great—I highly recommend it. It’s also good to have people to bring you down to earth, which is what I have in my husband.
HK: What is your source of creative inspiration?
TG: My husband. Really. He’s my inspiration because he’s so supportive and we have a great relationship as a couple and best friends. He’s always very logical and sensible so that makes me, an artistic and sometimes crazy person, more sensible and calm, too, which helps my creativity.
HK: What other projects or plans do you have in future?
TG: I’m now writing another cookbook. I also have another art show in Korea in December. And I do chef events all around the world, the next stop being a resort in Maldives, where I’m going to teach sushi-making. I’m also the executive chef for an innovative food wrap—these colored vegetable wraps—made by New Gem Foods, and I’ll be doing a TV show for them once in a month on the Home Shopping Network. So there’s always something going on, and like I said, if I can combine them, it’s going to be even better. I’ve been thinking about having a little sushi shop here in Hong Kong. I’m trying to find a spot here.