Dolly Chow is the daughter of Sir Shouson Chow, a well-known Qing Dynasty official, financier and international scholar who was one of the first students chosen by the Chinese government to attend an American university.

Raised in Shanghai, Dolly was a renowned hostess who introduced many Western officials to the tastes of Chinese cooking. She published the first edition of Chow! in 1936, in both English and Chinese.