Over 160 amazing guests joined us to celebrate the intersection of food, culture, and community! The energy was electric, and the love for Asian American cuisine and stories was inspiring!
At Voices Rising, I learned about how the panelists are building an AAPI community and awareness through the powerful medium of food and restaurants. Making stories and voices heard is powerful and it takes being brave and doing the work! - VRS Attendee
A special thank you to our incredible moderator, Tan Vinh, whose mixture of humor and heart struck the perfect tone for an evening of celebration and meaningful exploration. Check out his KUOW show, Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh, wherever you get your podcasts.
Our first panel of chefs and restaurateurs shared their personal and professional journeys, the challenges they experienced during the pandemic, and the hope and vision they have for the future of Asian American food in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you to Melissa Miranda of Musang and Kilig, Karuna Long of Sophon and Oliver's Twist, and Rachel Yang of Revel and Joule, and we were grateful to try eats from the new Paper Cake Shop!
Multimedia artist and filmmaker Pan Yixuan wowed us with a sensory performance of making dumplings. Poet and memoirist Jane Wong pulled at our heartstrings as she recounted the intersection of food, culture, and memory in her own family history.
Our second panel of food writers and content creators shared the cultural roots and culinary inspiration for their work, how they balance tradition and innovation, and the convergence of food and activism within the AAPI community. Thank you to Kat Lieu of Subtle Asian Baking, Ken Tran of Feed the Pudge, and Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle, whose new co-authored cookbook, Feasts of Good Fortune is available for pre-order!
Lastly, our Foodie Trivia was a fun interactive interruption for the audience.
Delicious Food and Cozy Accommodations
Guests feasted on the incredible culinary stylings of Karuna Long, Rachel Yang, and Melissa Miranda! Thank you to Musang for Lumpiang Shanghai, Pinkabet Anrancini, and Mushroom Adobo Toast; Sophon for the Cambodian Stuffed "Angel" Wings; and Paper Cake Shop for the Apple Kare-Mel!
Our wonderful venue partner, Hugo House, was instrumental in making sure all our guests felt comfortable and welcome! Thank you to DK, Pepe, Jason, Amy, Levi, and all the volunteers who so graciously donated their time and contributed to the evening's success. General registration is now open for Winter '25 classes.
Our event wouldn't have been the same without the incredible support from our partners & sponsors, who helped bring our vision to life, including JunHe, the Li Qi and Qu Jie Foundation, and The Asian American Foundation.
Vibrant Community Marketplace
We also want to extend our gratitude to the market vendors who contributed to the evening's success and donated prizes for our feisty round of trivia! Please support these organizations and businesses!
Mixed Pantry for the AAPI culinary essentials.
Thermomix for their delightful lemonade and samples of their
Macadons for their incredible onsite customized printing of Macaroons!
Interim CDA for activism in the Chinatown-International District and Danny Woo Community Garden.
Make Us Visible Washington for advocating for the inclusion of AA & NH/PI history and stories in Washington's K-12 curriculum.
Intentionalist for supporting small, local, BIPOC-owned businesses.
Wing Luke Museum for celebrating the dynamic history, cultures, and art of AA & NH/PIs.
Book Larder for supporting our incredible cookbook authors and others from the Asian diaspora.
To support us and get involved with more of our Voices Rising Series, please go to the Voices Rising website or reach out to our events team at events@sericainitiative.org.
