Fly by Jing Reveals the Complexity of Sichuan Cuisine

How a Chinese expat put Chengdu in a jar and sent it to America

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Stuck at home during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, a whopping 70% of Americans began cooking for themselves—a 50% jump over the prior year. For the sake of those whose culinary acumen didn’t rise above scrambled eggs and turkey sandwiches, New York Times Cooking editor Sam Sifton penned a piece that recommended a new brand of Sichuan chili sauce that, he said, you could confidently spoon over anything—a sauce so complex and robust that “you could spread that concoction on a mitten and be very happy with your meal.”

The brand was Fly by Jing, at that time a year-old direct-to-consumer upstart buoyed by $120,000 in Kickstarter capital.

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This story first appeared in the May 14, 2024, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.