72 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM styling and food photography. His previous work experience with search engine optimization also became a vital asset to help grow the website into what is now a full-time job for both of them. When Shen finally decided to leave his tech job in 2018 to exclusively work on the JOC blog with Nami, he was hesitant. “It was scary at first,” he remembers. “I had my benefits and a steady income. But when I told my boss, he said, ‘What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work out, come back to tech.’” Shen, who now refers to himself as “Mr. JOC,” hasn’t looked back since. What began as a hobby for Nami has now become one of the most popular and extensive sources of English-language Japanese recipes anywhere on the internet, with a monthly audience of five million readers. Her 1,000+ recipes range from shoyu ramen to yaki udon, tonkatsu to teriyaki tofu. She {food coloring} PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SHEN CHEN
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