About the Founding Book

Inspiration from 9,000 Miles Away is the founding book of Five Most Splendid Years™ — the one that first gave the philospohy its form.

It began when one woman said yes to an improbable inspiration at 5 a.m. and followed it wherever it led: to Macau, to an endangered cuisine, to a singer she had never met 9,000 miles away, and ultimately to a project that reshaped her next five years.

The book is both memoir and invitation — a record of what happened when a deferred dream was finally given its moment.

This is what one splendid year looked like. The project asks what yours might be.

Early Praises

“Cheng’s writing is striking throughout, bordering on poetry at times … It’s rare to find a writer who can successfully combine such varying content into one book that truly works, but Cheng does so beautifully.” — BookBrowse, 5-Star Review

“A deeply personal memoir and cookbook that ably shows that ‘dreams do not expire. They simply rest.’” — Kirkus Reviews

“An exuberant, perceptive memoir about culinary and cultural complexities.” — Foreword Reviews

“Tender culinary memoir… generous and heartfelt.” — BookLife Reviews

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