* A rising wave of young Chinese is embracing a new gig, that of on-demand chef.

* It may reflect a consumption upgrade, with a sizable number of urbanites willing to dig deeper into their pockets for healthier and bespoke alternatives to takeout.

* While recognizing its contribution to flexible employment, experts call for a clearer legal framework, better protection for workers, and more oversight from relevant platforms and authorities.

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A wok sizzled as garlic chives and Chinese kale hit hot oil, while pork rib and lotus root soup simmered with a bubbling sound on a stove. In addition, a whole fish, steamed and doused in soy sauce, could be spotted on the kitchen counter, neighboring a pile of spicy crawfish coated in chili oil.

Ding Yuqing, 23, juggled preparation of these dishes while navigating an unfamiliar kitchen. A college student in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, she was making a hometown feast for a family who hired her to cook in their home.

"I love cooking," she said. "Such home-cooking visits have improved my skills, and I really enjoy cooking for others."

Ding is part of a rising wave of young Chinese embracing a new gig, that of on-demand chef. Often students, office workers or freelancers, they offer homemade meals to time-starved urbanites seeking the likes of health, comfort and a taste of home.

On social media, the trend is hot. Hashtags related to "on-demand chefs" have amassed over 1.45 billion views on Douyin and more than 35 million on "rednote," an app better known as Xiaohongshu. Notably, last month, a viral story about a woman earning nearly 20,000 yuan (about 2,784 U.S. dollars) a month cooking six meals a day rocketed to the top of Sina Weibo's trending list.

HEALTH ON THE MENU

For Ding, it all began with a few food photos. Over the winter break last year, she posted snapshots of her home-cooked dishes online. To her surprise, requests started rolling in, asking: "Can you come cook for me?"

"At first, I was nervous cooking in someone else's kitchen," she admitted. "Now it's second nature."

She currently offers services within a 10-kilometer radius on weekends and during school breaks. Before each visit, she discusses taste preferences with her clients and asks them to supply ingredients and seasonings. After preparing meals, she also tidies up, washes dishes and even takes out the trash for her clients.

For a typical order of three dishes and one soup, Ding receives a payment of 80-100 yuan.

Most of her clients, she noted, are young people juggling hectic schedules. One repeat customer, a 30-year-old office worker, has hired her more than 30 times. "This customer and her husband are both too busy to cook," Ding explained.

China's busy urban workers have long relied on the country's sprawling food delivery sector, which employs over 10 million scooter-riding couriers, but Ding's case may reflect a consumption upgrade, with a sizable number of urbanites willing to dig deeper into their pockets for healthier and bespoke alternatives to takeout.

Li Xiaoyang, a 30-year-old from Wuhan, said this new type of service became essential for him after a bad experience with takeout left him sick for a week.

"Having someone cook for you means personalized dishes, better hygiene and a more relaxed atmosphere, whether it's a family dinner or a classmate reunion," Li said.

Entrepreneurs have taken notice of this booming market. Hu Quanyu, founder of Chef51, an on-demand platform that connects professional chefs with customers, said the service now operates in over 50 cities across China and works with more than 1,500 chefs.

Hu plans to launch a new platform aimed at part-time cooking enthusiasts, allowing them to pick up orders posted by users. The system will provide basic checks like ID and health certificates.

"The new service of on-demand home cooking is more affordable and flexible for budget-conscious young consumers," he said, adding that the trend reflects changing consumption habits among China's younger generation, who, fueled by rising incomes, are increasingly investing in health, convenience and quality of life.

A report by Zhiyan Consulting underscored this shift. It showed that the value of China's health and wellness market surpassed 1 trillion yuan in 2023 -- with people aged 18 to 35 accounting for 83.7 percent of this market.

SIDE HUSTLE TURNS SERIOUS

China's "on-demand economy" has diversified rapidly in recent years, with services ranging from in-home elderly care to space organization within homes. These offerings have been hailed for meeting personalized consumer demands, thus promoting consumption, but also for creating much-needed new job opportunities.

Back in 2022, the Chinese government issued a guideline aimed at improving gig economy services to boost employment.

The number of flexible workers in China exceeded 265 million in 2024, including 175 million engaged in platform-based gig work, according to an industry report by Hangzhou-based Gongmall, a digital solutions provider for the gig sector. By 2050, total wages in the sector are expected to exceed 50 trillion yuan.

Still, the fast-growing on-demand chef industry is not without risks and shortcomings. While recognizing its contribution to flexible employment and urban lifestyles, Hu Junjie, a lawyer based in Hubei, said safety and liability concerns remain due to a lack of regulations governing this novel service.

The lawyer thus called for a clearer legal framework, better protection for workers, and more oversight from relevant platforms and authorities. "That said, China already has similar platform services like food delivery and taxi-hailing, management of which is quite mature, and thereby serves as a useful reference," he added.

For some, like Xia Lu (not her real name), the on-demand chef role has evolved from a side hustle to a full-time profession. Burned out from long working hours, the 27-year-old native of southwest China's Sichuan Province, known among her social media followers for her fiery, flavor-packed cooking, quit her job with a foreign-owned company in Beijing in late 2023.

She now charges at least 128 yuan per home-cooking trip and handles up to three clients a day. While her current income, about 7,000 yuan a month, is lower than her previous job, Xia relishes the greater freedom it offers her.

"When the weather's good, I go hiking. When it rains, I rest," she said. "I've never felt so free and fulfilled."

She's planning to leave Beijing next summer to open a private kitchen in Yunnan, a southwestern province known for its beautiful scenery, slower pace of life and constant flow of hungry tourists.

For Ding Yuqing, meanwhile, the momentum is only just beginning.

"I believe the on-demand chef industry will continue to grow," she said. "It not only meets the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers, but also gives passionate cooks like me a meaningful and flexible career path."  ■

(Reporting by Cheng Lu, Yao Yuan, Tian Zhongquan and Ma Sijia.)