Maya Chen

Maya Chen leads Always Packed's Southeast Asia coverage and its global food desk. She believes a night market tells you more about a city than its skyline, and her guides name the dish, the neighbourhood, and the price band before they reach for an adjective. From hawker centres to regional festivals, Maya covers food travel with appetite and rigour in equal measure, including the unglamorous essentials: water, queues, cash, and knowing when a queue is worth it. This profile is an Always Packed editorial desk, a named collection of editors and researchers publishing under a shared beat and voice.