Born and raised in the Toronto area – Markham, to be exact, Isabel Foo is a talented graphic designer and illustrator who’s known for her super cute drawings of babies and food (and sometimes both)!
Having worked with Monocle, VOGUE Hong Kong, The Globe and Mail and more, the self-described “part-time illustrator mom” was based in Hong Kong before relocating back to Canada, where she now takes on creative projects in her spare time.
We caught up with Isabel to find out more about her upbringing, pandemic hobbies and her top recommendations in Toronto!
What kind of #ricefolk are you?
I’m Canadian-born Chinese.
Where were you born and where do you live now?
I was born in Toronto and raised in Markham, a suburb north of Toronto. During my childhood, my parents would bring me and my siblings to Hong Kong to visit family almost every year. Before having kids, my husband and I moved to Hong Kong for a couple of years, but we’re back in Toronto now!
How did your parents end up in Toronto?
My parents were born in Hong Kong, after both sets of my grandparents fled Ningbo, China, during the second world war. They immigrated with my older sister to Toronto in the mid 1980s because my mom’s mom and sister were already here. Fun fact: my parents still live in the same house in Markham from our childhood!
What’s the Asian population like in Toronto, and how did it shape your identity growing up?
There’s a big east Asian population in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), especially in Markham, Richmond Hill, and Scarborough. I think I’ve always felt more comfortable being in the company of other Asians and other people of colour, so I was glad to grow up in a diverse community.
How did you get into your line of work?
I went to school for graphic design, and did that for about nine years before moving to Hong Kong. While there, I focused more on illustration, doing freelance jobs for clients around the world. Now, I do creative projects in my downtime instead of my full-time job.
How does your culture inspire your work?
I love drawing food and people most. It’s been a bit tricky finding time to do creative work since having kids, but when I can, I pull inspiration from real life. I draw my favourite foods, Chinese food, foods I miss from Hong Kong, places we’ve visited, etc.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
I love the Big Cities Little Foodies board book series I did with Cheryl (Chepusova). It was a true labour of love because we learned so much by publishing it independently. So many people have written to us about how the books meant a lot to them to be represented and how they were happy to be able to share their culture with their kids. It feels like we made a positive difference in peoples’ lives.
Besides illustrating, what are your other hobbies?
During the early part of the pandemic I was doing a lot of reading, movie watching with my husband, and took up needle felting little figurines. I wish I had more time to do yoga at home but I haven’t had the self-discipline since the gym closed.
Isabel’s Top Spots in Toronto:
If I had guests in town, I’d give them a tour of the East End, because that’s our neighbourhood. We go almost biweekly to Isabella’s Mochi Donut Boutique – they have the best chewy mochi donuts with different flavours and styles every week.
Hanamaru market and bento is a Japanese and Korean market – they have so many great snacks and treats, and fresh sushi and bentos.
Another one of our faves is Chino Locos, which serves Asian-Mexican burritos! And Wong’s Ice Cream recently closed, but I loved it so much, I’m going to mention them anyway. I’m hoping they’ll open something new soon!
And fave Asian-owned businesses to support:
WKID Collection makes cute and super soft clothes for kids, while Babes in Hoods has stylish hoodies for babies and kids – plus masks for everyone.
Van & Co offers small-batch specialty coffees, and The Maker Bean is a coffee shop and maker space for 3D printing, laser cutting, and kids camps.
Little Kozzi is a great resource for Chinese books and learning materials for kids.
And finally, The Office of Gilbert Li is a graphic design studio specialising in the design of books, periodicals, and other printed matter.
As a fellow #ricefolk, what would you say is the most ‘Asian’ thing about you?
I really don’t like it when people wear shoes in the house.
Finally, what is your favourite rice dish?
I love Shanghai pork zongzi, lo mai fan (sticky rice with lap cheung), and claypot rice. I can’t pick, I love them all.
Follow Isabel Foo on Instagram @isabel.foo!
Isabel
April 5, 2022 at 1:24 pm
Thanks for featuring me! <3