Just a week ago I had one the best nights ever around New York! It was my 3rd time in Brooklyn and I had the honour of being invited to participate in the Chow x Mundo Event organized by MOFAD (Museum Of Food And Drink).

A few months ago the amazing human being, Simone Jacobson, asked me if I would be interested in participating in a panel to talk about Food History in Barrio Chinos (Chinatown in Panama). I was extremely flattered and said that of course I would!

The day arrived, and I took the train all the way to Brooklyn to participate in this event. Knowing ahead of time that everyone in the panel were experts (professors/chef), I was very nervous. I’m used to supporting my boss and/or my friends at events when THEY participate.

For the past 5 years I have rarely said anything in front of an audience or in front of a camera, but in 2019 this is going to change. Since I do have a lot to say when it comes food, I’m so glad I went to Brooklyn.

It started with a warm welcome, where we were all introduced as if we were old friends. It really felt that way and that feeling stayed throughout the evening.

The team at MOFAD did a great job setting the mood and the kitchen staff did a fantastic job cooking and plating the dishes for the evening. For a moment it felt as if I was back in Panama because of the environment: a happy and tight melting pot of good people collaborating on a project we all feel very passionate about. I used to organize and participate in a lot of such cultural & gastronomic events back in Panama. I’ve missed this so much!

Meeting Professor Lok Siu was incredible and I can’t wait to read her book Memories of a Future Home: Diasporic Citizenship of Chinese in Panama. I have so much to learn about the Chinese community in Panama and thanks to Professor Siu and through a few contacts my sister has shared with me, it’s going to be a fascinating adventure to learn all I can about this subject.

Professor Siu gave a short, but deep talk about Chinese Migrants in the US that came from Latin American countries. Now I am very curious to try restaurants with Peruvian & Chifa foods, also restaurants that offer different menus eg. Caribbean with Chinese. I know in my over 10 years of living in this country I have seen such options, it just never dawned on me that this was probably a result of a Chinese family who migrated from a Latino country.

Then was Carlos Olaechea, who did a Lomo Saltado cooking demo, but with Tofu and it was delicious! Carlos talked about Chifa Cuisine which he mentioned Peruvians consider just as Peruvian Cuisine, not Chinese-Peruvian, but Chifa! If I wanted to travel to Peru before, he certainly made me crave this trip even more!

Lastly we had our panel on ‘The Socio-Cultural Importance of Chino-Latino Restaurants’; we got to hear from Chef Guillermo Hung and his restaurant Pao Cha Cha in Astoria, Queens. You should check out his video on being a Chino Latino, what a personality he is!

On the panel was also professor Jason Oliver Chang talking on the delicate history of Mexicans and Chinese back in 1880-1940, I myself have bookmarked his book for future reading: Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880-1940.

The last one to participate on the panel was professor Kathleen Lopez, who brought a light into the conversation in regards to the difficult past among Chinese and Latinos by painting a picture of the lovely experience in el Barrio Chino in Cuba and so many anecdotes, this is the last book from I’ve added to my list: Chinese Cubans: A Transnational History (North Carolina 2013).

The event also included salsa dancing, delicious food, tons of smiles, exchanges of knowledge, and anecdotes. I finally had to leave before it ended since I had to run to Manhattan and catch my Amtrak back home.

I thank the folks at MOFAD, specially Simon Jacobson, for making me feel so welcomed to their museum family and for sharing this space with me to voice my thoughts and experiences. I will forever treasure that evening.

Local Collective Launches ‘Charm City Night Market on September 22 Located in Baltimore’s Historic Chinatown, Featuring Local Cultural Performances, and 15+ food and drink vendors.

Coinciding with the Lunar Mid-Autumn Festival, the first-ever Charm City Night Market will host musical acts, artists, food vendors, storytellers, and cultural ambassadors — all converging on an historic block of Baltimore’s Chinatown. Charm City Night Market will take place on Saturday, September 22 from 4-11pm, with the center of the action at the greenspace on 200 Park Avenue. Entry is free with RSVP. For updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/244865219470959/ or follow @charmcitynightmarket on Instagram.

“This all started with Kitty and Calvin Chin,” says organizer Stephanie Hsu. “They were longtime residents and a for the preservation of Baltimore’s Chinatown and had such a compelling pan-Asian vision for Park Ave. The Chinatown Collective is working to revive and expand their ideas — the Night Market will hopefully just be the beginning.”

Charm City Night Market will be an epic outdoor block party that connects Lexington Market to Park Avenue, spanning the city’s intertwined communities of color. Performances at the Charm City Night Market range from cultural traditions to contemporary dance and music. One of the Charm City Night Market headliners is Baltimore Dance Crews Project.

Established in 2009 by Filipino American hiphop dance artists Brian Gerardo and Cynthia Chavez, The Baltimore Dance Crews Project (BDCP) hosts hip-hop programming that strengthens relationships between students and mentors. Attendees can also look forward to performances by Samulnori, traditional Korean drum artistry.

“We’re excited to welcome nationally acclaimed restaurants like Ekiben along with rising stars like Mera Kitchen Collective and Mochichi,” says organizer Jamie Sumague. Mera Kitchen Collective is a women-owned cooperative featuring chefs and cuisine while Mochichi is a Korean and Filipino frozen desserts stall led by Steve Cho, a long time Lexington Market stall owner. Also among the vendors are visual artists, crafters, jewelry makers. Look for prints and designs by Filipina American sister duo Timpla, organic self care products by Priya Means Love, and playful artwork and merchandise by Kimchi Juice. Event attendees can also expect to find a soju, sake, and beer garden helmed by Phil Han of Dooby’s.

The Chinatown Collective includes collaborators of Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Pakistani, Ethiopian and Vietnamese descent. They work together to amplify the voices of long term AAPI residents, contributors, and leaders in Baltimore City, and hope to unite the city around the history of Asian Immigrants and Asian Americans in Baltimore with a multi-cultural vision of our future. Contact us for more information, interviews, and brief bios.

It was a huge privilege to have been invited to the DC Embassy Chef Challenge 2018. I was very thrilled to attend, Chef Felipe Milanes was representing Panama’s Embassy woohoo!

Sharing a cocktail with the lovely Lisa Comento

It was fantastic also to say hello to other media colleagues, such as the amazing Lisa Comento, and of course, all the embassies showcased their cuisine, many of which I’ve never had the opportunity to try before!

The way a mood is set at events is so important to me and more when I know it’s going to be packed and people are going to cut off in front of you in the line (or “not knowing” where the line starts), yet this event had one of the best ambiances I’ve been to, everyone looked so happy; guess, chefs and their teams as well.

The winner of the evening, Sisig by the Embassy of the Phillipines

I was very lucky I didn’t have to do a line until after 8pm and it was on the South American embassies section, the great thing is that there was plenty of wine and cocktails available so I was able to sip while waiting for them tasty bites.

Delicious desserts! My favorite was the one on the right by Mauritius, a chocolate mousse-pudding with crispy chocolate on top and a caramelized banana compote in the bottom. Also Belgium did an amazing white chocolate, raspberry and basil dessert. On the top left it’s Morocco’s chocolate mouse.

My favorite dishes that evening were: Mauritius Seafood Bisque (and obviously, their dessert, so good!), Haiti’s mutton dish, it was so good and one of my favorite chefs of the evening! The ladies at Côte d’Ivoire were killing it too, and their pineapple ginger cocktail was very refreshing. Chef Felipe’s Guacho (smoked pork stew) was pretty tasty, it was fancier than what my mum and my grandma cooks, but the comfort flavor was there and it had chicharron, so yes, bonus! Extra aji chombo (Panamanian hot pepper sauce) for me please!

Ghana’s Lamb with Jollof Rice was pretty delicious, so was Georgia’s Chanakhi (Lamb & Eggplant Stew), and the short ribs from Iraq so well seasoned, give me all these meats any day! It’s worth to mention Colombia and Peru for their variety of food options. The embassies did a terrific job at showcasing their cuisines and culture through the arrangement of their tables and chefs outfits, Morocco won best Chefs outfits, their table was .

I had a fantastic time and hope I can get this opportunity again the next year to eat around the world from Washington DC, all in one night with great music, dancing, and lovely people who love all the foods and cultures as much as I do!

—

Below is the Press Release after the winners were announced at the DC Embassy Chef Challenge 2018

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2018)—Attendees of the Tenth Anniversary Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA gathered to travel the world with their taste buds, sampling bites and beverages from 28 participating nations. Embassy chefs showcased the unique flavors of their home countries in a culinary showdown. Chefs competed to win the coveted Peopleâ€s Choice Award presented by Events DC, chosen by guests†votes, as well as the Judges†Choice presented by TCMA, selected by a panel of influential members of the diplomatic, cultural and culinary communities.

The winner of the evening, Sisig by the Embassy of the Phillipines

Chef Abigail “Abie” Sincioco-Mateo representing the Embassy of the Philippines was selected as the Peopleâ€s Choice Champion and well as the Judges†Choice Champion for her plate of Pork Sisig. Both second-place prizes were given to the Embassy of Ghana Chef, Francis Otoo, for his Lamb Jollof Rice. Chef Jouvens Jean from the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti took home the third-place prize in the Judges†Choice category for his Kabrit Kreyol served with Haitian Cinnamon Water. In the Peopleâ€s Choice category, third-place was awarded to the Embassy of Colombia Chef, Alex Salgado, for his Coconut Shrimp with Pancetta and Heart of Palm Ceviche.

The judging panel consisted of:

• Andy Shallal, Busboys & Poets
• Major Garrett & Arden Farhi, CBS News
• Lauren Bernstein, The Culinary Diplomacy Project
• Chef Tim Ma, Kyirisan
• Nycci Nellis, The List Are You On It
• Executive Chef Xavier Deshayes, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
• Daniel Nasaw, The Wall Street Journal
• Maura Judkis, The Washington Post
• Chef Cynthia Verna, 2017 Peopleâ€s Choice Champion representing the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
• Chef Moja Fedal, 2017 Judgeâ€s Choice Champion representing the Embassy of Morocco

Two new awards were handed out this year as well. The Best Beverage presented by Pepsi was awarded to the Embassy of Barbados for their Drunken Bajan Lemonade developed by mixologist Philip Antoine and Chef Creig Greenidge. The Best Dressed Embassy presented by Macyâ€s was earned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco with a colorful display that wowed guests.

Guests ate their way through an abundant array of foods and drinks prepared by the embassy chefs representing Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Republic of Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côte dâ€Ivoire, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Iraq, Jamaica, Republic of Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Principality of Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Republic of Moldova, Kingdom of Morocco, Nepal, Panama, Peru, the Philippines and Slovak Republic.

Events DC senior vice president and managing director of sports, entertainment and special events, Erik Moses, said of the tenth anniversary event, “This yearâ€s challenge was bigger and better than ever before. It was great to see so many embassies turn out with such pride for their native cuisine and culture. Congratulations to all the chefs who competed. Hereâ€s to another decade of friendly and delicious competition.”

Sponsors
The 2018 Event DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA sponsors include Astral Tequila, Bundaberg, Cultural Tourism DC, Cutco, Legacy Partners Distribution, Macyâ€s, RCN Business, Social Driver, Sombra Mezcal tequila, Teahouse/Pureleaf, TYKU Sake and Voss artesian water.

This was my second year attending the DC VegFest.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it mostly because of the gloomy weather and because I’m not very good with crowds.  I was lucky it never rained while I was there and because of avoiding crowds I missed every single talk and the insane long line outside the Vegan Treats Tent.

“The DC VegFest aims to highlight how easy and delicious it is to choose vegetarian foods in and around the nationâ€s capital. Founded by the Vegetarian Society of DC in 1997 as VegFest DC, Compassion Over Killing is proud to continue hosting this free festival celebrating the cityâ€s diverse palate for animal-friendly cuisine and the many benefits of a plant-based diet. Featuring speakers, cooking demonstrations, free food samples, dozens of exhibitors, commercial vendors, and area food vendors, the DC VegFest has something for everyone to enjoy!” – DCVegFest.com

I went with J, and we were very happy to support the event and to support our friends at the New Family Naturals stand: Engin and Toya (Engin on the right, Toya isn’t in the picture and I forgot the name of the lovely lady that was helping them that day).  New Family Naturals is one of the best examples of local businesses I like to support.  I love their quality products, vegetarian friendliness, their awesome juices and tasty Kale Chips (theirs were the first Kale Chips I ever tasted and it was a great experience!).

There were a lot of positive features throughout the festival.  Even if you’re not a vegan or vegetarian, there was no reason not to enjoy yourself during this event.  I got to try the Amsterdam Falafel, a slice of the delicious chocolate cake that Sticky Fingers was giving away.  This dish you see on the picture below was one of the many options the food vendors were offering, food trucks, pastries, you mention it!  More on the things I loved about this happening were the access to restrooms, tap water and hand washing stations, since it makes it easier to hang out for longer hours.

Things that I hope to see in the 2014 festival:

1- Vegan Hispanic Food (Panamanian maybe? we!)
2- Hot Dog Carts
3- Deep Fryers or BBQ
4-  More fun/educational material for those who are not vegans/vegetarians but would like a way to reduce their amount of animal meats and animal products.
5-  Acoustic Live Music or at least hook up something with a nearby venue.

Thursday, March 8, 7:30 – 10 pm, 2012 (Rest of the photos on my FB page)

I attended the fourth edition of the Embassy Chef Challenge, an annual culinary competition for world-class embassy chefs.  It was celebrated in the atrium of co-host Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

It was my first time visiting a competition of this kind and it was quite an interesting experience since all the dishes were non-vegetarian so for the most part except for Chef Nazha from the Embassy of Morocco and her lovely dessert “Milk Pastilla w/ Nuts & berries, the only dish I could eat completely!

The event was really well organized, and the attention to detail was superb with informative literature for those who were not familiar with Chef’s names, the waiters gracious and attentive and of course the ladies at the bar preparing a non-easy-on-the-vodka Cosmo!

I got the chance to see few a friends and meet and speak to some of the Chefs, when it got packed it was a bit hectic to move around and even to get to some auctions that were running in the middle tables.   I recognized Tim Carman from the Washington Post and Chef Carla Hall trying the dishes since they were part of the Judges table.  It made me realize I would never be chosen to become a Judge for this kind of competition unless it was desserts, and even then many Chefs/Cooks get a bit avant-garde with meaty ingredients so I would have to watch out haha.

I want to thank Jessica Marlatt from Cultural Tourism DC for inviting me to such a fun and cultural event that I enjoyed myself even if I couldn’t try most of the dishes!

Embassy Chef Challenge 2012 chefs:
Chef Devin E. Johnson, Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Chef Sen Sun, Embassy of the Peopleâ€s Republic of China
Chef Malknaz Maisashvili, Embassy of Georgia
Chef Viktor Merényi, Embassy of Hungary
Chef Djamel Amroune, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq
Chef Sherene N. James, Embassy of Jamaica
Chef Shogo Shimodaira, Embassy of Japan
Chef Yerlan Abdrakhmanov, Embassy of Kazakhstan
Chef Young A. Byeon Lee, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Chef Nazha Kasraoui, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and 2009 Embassy Chef Challenge Winner of Judgeâ€s and Peopleâ€s Choice Award
Chef Sondre Bruvik Ellingstad, Royal Norwegian Embassy
Chef Channa Perera, Embassy of Sri Lanka
Chef Vincent Muia, Embassy of Switzerland

VIDEO: Behind the Scenes footage of Embassy Chef Challenge’s, Challenge Denmark

Video by Cultural Tourism DC

Slow Cooked Beef/potato/dried baked tomato/country style pasta (Hungary Embassy Winner)

Smoked Veal Loins (Embassy of Switzerland)

Tteokgalbi, grilled seasoned beef, and gujeolpan (Embassy of Korea)

Milk Pastille/nuts/berries (Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco)

Ceviche on top of Lobster Salad/Mango/crawfish (Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas)

Denise Nguyen & Philippe Lajaunie 

Judges welcome last judge & previous Embassy Chef Challenge 2012 winner Chef Lars Bees