Explore the Delicious History of Chinese-American Cuisine at the MOFAD Lab

MOFAD Lab

On weekends from now through the end of January, explore the complex and delicious history of Chinese culture and cuisine in America through Chow: Making the Chinese-American Restaurant.

MOFAD Lab

The new exhibit, now in full swing at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) Lab, will celebrate the evolution of Chinese-American restaurants, “tracing their nearly 170-year history and sparking conversation about food culture, immigration, and what it means to be American.” Chow is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12-6pm, now through the end of April.

MOFAD Lab

Highlights of Chow include:

A Menu Timeline: 

MOFAD Lab

Immerse yourself in a stunning timeline of Chinese American restaurant menus dating back to 1910. Beautifully designed and lovingly curated by MOFAD, these artifacts show the evolution of the cuisine, decade by decade.

The Chow Culinary Studio:

MOFAD Lab

Enjoy tastings created by the country’s most talented Chinese-American chefs, including Doron Wong (Northern Tiger), Jonathan Wu (Fung Tu), Jeremiah Stone (Contra/Wildair), Irene Li (Mei Mei), Chris Cheung (East Wind Snack Shop), and Lee Anne Wong (Koko Head Cafe). Each month, MOFAD will feature a different tasting:

• Chef Jonathan Wu, Fung Tu: Honey Walnut Shrimp (velveting technique)
• Chef Jeremiah Stone, Contra/Wildair: Stuffed Tofu with Crab Sauce (cornstarch thickening technique)
• Chef Chris Cheung, East Wind Snack Shop: Peking Pork Chop with Sweet and Sour Glaze (velveting technique)
• Chef Irene Li, Mei Mei: TBD (cornstarch thickening technique)
• Chef Lee Anne Wong, Koko Head Cafe: TBD (stir-frying technique)

Project Fortune:

MOFAD Lab

MOFAD is collecting messages of goodwill from people around the world, and putting them into a continuously operating 1,500-pound fortune cookie machine. At Chow, crack open a freshly baked cookie to reveal a fortune written by a stranger. Think: message in a bottle, with a cookie as the medium. Visit projectfortune.mofad.org or tweet @mofad with #projectfortune to submit your own message to Project Fortune.

Tickets ($14 for adults) include fortune cookies and a small complimentary tasting at the Chow Culinary Studio.

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For more events to add to your social calendar, check out Spotlight’s 15 Things to Eat, Drink & Do in December.