Yum Chat Asian Food Documentary Series with Special Guest Maria Wen Adcock of BiculturalMama.com #YumChat
Food is much more than a gut-filler. To many people, it represents not only nourishment, but also cultural identity, family, and tradition.
Growing up in a Chinese American household, food played a central role in our lives. My mother spent countless hours preparing mouthwatering meals. I can still remember the sights, sounds, and smells of the kitchen as she created delicious stir-fry dishes. Food was what brought us together every night when my dad returned from work. While picking up the delicate slices of meat and vegetables with our chopsticks, we took turns discussing our day. When I think of Chinese food, I think of the memories made during my childhood.
When a production agency approached me to make a guest appearance in Yum Chat, a five-part documentary series celebrating Asian American chefs, cooking, and heritage, I knew it was a great fit. In this series, five New York City Asian American chefs came together with five special guests to cook and chat. Together, we created tasty Asian-inspired dishes while sharing stories and our food.
In my episode, I’m paired up with second-generation restauranteur Wilson Tang of the popular Chinese cuisine establishment, Nom Wah Tea Parlour. Each episode features a theme my theme was family. The theme was a perfect fit given both Chef Tang and I were parents to young children, and I’m the founder of the parenting and culture blog, Bicultural Mama.
Chef Tang and I made a simple, quick, and tasty udon noodles dish with lap cheong (Chinese sausage 腊肠), Chinese broccoli, and Black Bean Sauce. It’s a dish even the kids will love. While cooking, we discussed family and food traditions with the other four chefs. It was a great trip down memory lane, and when all was done we enjoyed eating the udon dish.
I would love your support in watching me and my fellow chefs and special guests in Yum Chat. To get a sense of what you’ll be experiencing, check out the Yum Chat trailer below. I make a cameo at 0:21 seconds with Chef Tang.
Yum Chat chefs include:
- Esther Choi, chef/owner of Korean-cuisine establishments mŏkbar and Ms. Yoo
- Wilson Tang, restaurateur of New York Chinese cuisine icon Nom Wah Tea Parlour
- Bao Bao, chef/owner of Thai-themed Baoburg
- Hooni Kim, chef/owner of Korean restaurants Hanjan and Danji
- Lien Lin, co-chef/owner of the Vietnamese gastropub Bricolage
Yum Chat Special Guests include:
- Giullian Yao Gioiello, actor in Netflix’s Julie’s Greenroom and formerly of The CW’s The Carrie Diaries and MTV’s Scream
- Maria Wen Adcock, writer and founder of the culture and parenting blog Bicultural Mama
- Tian Zhu, host of Sinovision’s Asian Kitchen
- Carmen and Serge Sognonvi of the travel blog Top Flight Family
- Cathy Erway, cookbook author and podcaster
Bicultural Mama with Yum Chat chefs.
Yum Chat, sponsored by noodles and wrappers company Twin Marquis, will stream exclusively on its Facebook and YouTube channels. Starting on August 21st, 2018 the docu-series will air bi-weekly with my episode tentatively slated for Tuesday, September 4. Each episode will be a socially-shareable 7-8 minutes in length. I will confirm this date once Yum Chat solidifies the episode schedule.
Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing more on my blog and social media when my episode airs!
Photos and video credit: Admerasia (unless otherwise noted)
