It was ambitious to host 19 events and 3 online collaborations in the space of 5 weeks in 4 cities, but I wouldn't have done it any other way! I was humbled with all the love and support I received and for all the unique opportunities to introduce "The Vibrant Hong Kong Table." where I also cooked to share a taste of Hong Kong. It was heartwarming to celebrate with family and chosen family, old and new friends, vegans and omnivores, foodies and cooks, and people who traveled a long way to attend an event to strangers who happened to be in the neighborhood!
SEPTEMBER 9
Official book launch at Pearl River Mart in conversation with PRM president Joanne Kwong, I was honored to collaborate with Kimbap Lab to make a fun vegan spam (page 123) kimbap and vegan wontons (page 152) in clear broth (page 46) expertly wrapped by the wonton queen Maxi Lau from Maxi's Noodle. Beverages were generously sponsored by Tsingtao beer and San Pellegrino.
SEPTEMBER 12
Intimate book signing at Rawsome Treats, NYC's raw vegan dessert shop in the Lower East Side owned by friend and muay Thai fighter powerhouse Watt Sriboonruang with a Rawsome Egg Tart Pie derived from the Egg Tart (page 93) recipe, but using raw, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly ingredients without refined sugar.
SEPTEMBER 14
Grateful to have Union Square Greenmarket in the heart of the city. It was a beautiful day to host a book signing with Kitchen Arts & Letters, a local food-centric bookstore that has been open since 1983. Thanks to everyone who stopped by who bought books, ate Singapore Noodles (page 151), and talked about cookbook clubs, veganism, and Hong Kong!
SEPTEMBER 14
Two sold out mooncake making session at The Shops at Skyview in Flushing Queens as part of their Moon Fest weekend programming. It was a celebration of cultural dances, Mid-Autumn Festival trivia and making snowskin mooncakes. Each attendee received a copy of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table with ticket entry which was an amazing way to celebrate this important holiday, and my book launch!
SEPTEMBER 15
A relaxing Happy Hour Book Signing at Nudibranch Korean-Spanish restaurant was the perfect way to end book launch week #1. On the menu we served plant-based Hong Kong recipes from the cookbook: Corn Soup (page 127), Turnip Cake (page 89), and Black Pepper Cabbage (131) paired with a special Coconut-washed Ming River baijiu cocktail with pineapple & Thai basil, Lunar hard seltzer, and San Pellegrino. We were happy to welcome a guest who happened to walk by the restaurant and ended up celebrating with us! :)
SEPTEMBER 17
With 1.9 million followers on Instagram and the #1 resource for vegan cooking, I am grateful to be a part of the Best of Vegan community, and especially having the encouraging support of founder Kim-Julie Hansen whose endorsement for The Vibrant Hong Kong Table graces my book cover. The importance of culture and global communities shines in this platform's ethos. It was a great honor for me to share my slice of the globe in NYC's Chinatown with an instagram stories takeover as well as contributing an article for their Culture Tuesday series: Exploration of Hong Kong Cuisine. Also featured @bestofvegan page is the recipe video for Turnip Cake (page 89).
SEPTEMBER 17
This year, on the night of Mid-AutumnFestival, I celebrated by teaching an online class with Milk Street Cooking School. With over 200 attendees signed up, we prepared a simple fruit and nut filling in advance and within the 75 minute class, we made the pastry for baked mooncakes (page 183) as well as a glutinous rice flour skin for snowy mooncakes (page187), assembled, baked, and were able to have them ready in time to go outside to gaze at the Harvest Moon!
SEPTEMBER 19
It was an absolute honor to celebrate my book launch at the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund Annual Benefit last month where I made and served up 500 mini Black Sesame Mooncakes (p 187) alongside 120 NYC restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, Frenchette, and Union Square Cafe. This nonprofit raises funds in honor of beloved cheesemonger Anne Saxelby to provide monthlong apprenticeships on sustainable farms across the US,
SEPTEMBER 21
Yu & Me Books in the heart of Chinatown is NYC's first female-owned Asian-American bookstore that showcases BIPOC authors and immigrant stories. It is a safe space for representation, passions and dreams. I spent a wonderfull Saturday afternoon with customers, friends and cute bbs who couldn't get enough of my Laughing Sesame Cookies (page 174)
SEPTEMBER 25
This year for Climate Week, I was part of the Serica Initiative's "Climate, Comedy and Cocktails" event marketplace at the China Institute hosted by B.D. Wong and featured programming included a leading climate expert panel from Columbia's Climate School and The Nature Conservancy. I brought tastings for the 200+ attendees which included Turnip Cake (page 89), Singapore Noodles (page 151), and Laughing Sesame Cookies (page 174) – and even sold out all my books!
SEPTEMBER 26
Just when I thought my heart couldn't get any fuller, my final NYC book launch event was hosted at Think!Chinatown, a non-profit organization that brings the Chinatown community together through art, storytelling, night markets and more. Guests were welcomed with a Salted Kumquat Soda with Sanzo sparking water, followed by a cozy mahjong table chat with Yin Kong, cooking demo, and hands-on preparing and eating Lotus Leaf Rice (page 75). What made this event more heartwarming is that some of my favorite Chinatown aunties and uncles, who are all active members of the community, came out to support me. They were the first people I showed my early copy of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table to, and I'm more than grateful to have them in my life.
SEPTEMBER 28
Thank you to Now Serving for hosting a weekend book talk with Los Angeles Times deputy food editor Betty Hallock and her insightful and thoughtful questions about Hong Kong from a global perspective, sustainability, and getting into my recipe development. Attendees, including an old HK high school friend and her family, enjoyed some Laughing Sesame Cookies (page 174) which I prepared earlier that morning.
SEPTEMBER 30
When you stay in LA with friends like Sarah @thedelicious, you know that cooking together would be a must! After being starstruck by the Hollywood farmer's market and Asian supermarkets we put together this epic Vibrant & Delicious Holiday Board – Sarah's signature creations! The recipes from The Vibrant Hong Kong Table included: Scallion-Ginger Sauce (page 50), Spring Rolls (page 84), Pickled Lotus Root (Page 161), XO Sauce (page 53) with Green Beans, Dumplings (page 167), Root Vegetable Chips (page 165), Black & Pink Peppercorn Sauce (page 131) with brussels sprouts, and Fried Enoki Mushrooms (page 162). Isn't she glorious!?
OCTOBER 2
Vegan chef bestie Zuliya @naturallyzuzu organized an idyllic getaway for us at the Inn at Moonlight Beach where we were able to catch up, relax, and cook together. Nestled in the charming coastal town of Encinitas, this inn is a true sanctuary designed with health and well-being at its core. We gathered herbs from the property's biodynamic urban farm, and prepared these Longevity Noodles (page 195) from my cookbook.
OCTOBER 4
I made so many new friends at my book talk and signing in San Francisco's Chinatown at On Waverly, a welcoming shop and space celebrating the AAPI makers and authors. Big thanks to Yank Sing for serving their delicious vegan dumplings and to Tw'rl for providing their plant-based ube milk tea.
OCTOBER 6
This well-bookmarked copy of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table made my heart sing at the wonderful Omnivore Books, San Francisco's one and only culinary bookshop. I had a super fun conversation with my friend Michelle Tam from @nomnompaleo and guests enjoyed the beautifully fragrant flavor of Little Moon Bakehouse's vegan Jasmine Tea Mooncakes.🥰🥰🥰 From another old high school friend to my book marketing strategist, and everyone who stopped by, thank you all for your conversations and support!
OCTOBER 9
One of my all-time favorite stores in the world, Goods of Desire - G.O.D. has an eclectic collection of Hong Kong-centric home goods with beautiful nostalgic, yet modern, design aesthetics and witty sense of humor! It is an absolute dream come true to have The Vibrant Hong Kong Table on the shelves of G.O.D. — and to host a book launch event here within 12 hours of landing from SF! With the talented Hong Kong cityscape photographer, Jeremy Cheung, we talked about Hong Kong nostalgia, food, and change while guests enjoyed bites from Po Lin Yuen Vegetarian Restaurant.
OCTOBER 13
One of the most special book launch events in Hong Kong was the unique opportunity to do a cooking demo in the garden, under the banyan tree at Green Hub, an initiative of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden which transforms a century-old historic police station to a community hub to promote sustainable living through food education. Their Eat Well Canteen promotes a plant-based diet and strives to serve meals with the least carbon footprint by collaborating with local farmers and sustainable suppliers. Seasonal produce included eggplant and sweet potato, one of my favourite combinations which is used for Curry Puffs (page 244) in The Vibrant Hong Kong Table. Guests made HK style samosas which were cooked up and enjoyed with the butterfly pea flower tea fresh from Green Hub's biodynamic garden. It was heartwarming to have my godmom, friends, and family who traveled through time (from when I l ived in HK in the 90s!) and distance — all the way from Macau to join me here at this sold out event!
OCTOBER 15
It is an understatement when I say Tai On Bing Sutt was absolutely the PERFECT venue to host a sold out, vegan pop-up dinner celebrating my book. Opened in 1969, Tai On sat alongside a number of bing sutts which flourished in the neighborhood in the 70s. Today, Tai On is the last one standing, with a new generation of owners who advocate for local heritage as well as bringing modern twists to well-loved bing sutt / cha chaan teng / Chinese diner dishes The menu featured recipes from my cookbook including: Salty Lime Ginger Beer (page 115), Peanuts (page 165) & Pickles (page161), "Brisket" Noodles (page 147), and Laughing Sesame Cookies (page 174). Thank you Tiffany and team for co-hosting this unique dinner with me! And thanks to everyone who came to enjoy my twists on classic CCT dishes with big hearts and full bellies!
OCTOBER 16
Overlooking Hong Kong Harbour, this sold out Dumpling Class at Soho House was available for club members only. With a Lunar New Year dumpling filling (page 167) prepared in advance, each guest made the dough from scratch with options to dye it naturally with turmeric, spirulina powder, or fresh beet juice. I then taught the group how to make 5 different folds and everyone enthusiastically prepared lots of dumplings which were then steamed by the Soho House chefs. They were served with dipping sauces, including my favorite Chiu Chow Chili Oil from Lee Kum Kee who also provided gift bags in addition to a copy of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table.
OCTOBER 17
Growing up in Hong Kong, Bookazine was the ONLY place we always shopped for books. I'm honoured to have The Vibrant Hong Kong Table on the shelves and to have hosted a book signing here!
OCTOBER 17
Maya Bakery in Quarry Bay is Hong Kong's first plant-based bakery that strives to make sustainability accessible. As part of my collaboration with health- and eco-conscious mompreneur, Shirley Kwok, I developed The Vibrant Hong Kong Buddha Bowl which is inspired by my Poon Choi (page 158) and Black Pepper Sauce (page 131) recipes from The Vibrant Hong Kong Table. It celebrates a colorful fusion of flavors and textures with a vegetables, pickles, leafy greens, and rice which not only nourishes the body but also the city’s vibrant culinary spirit. This bowl was available for a limited time only.
NOVEMBER 20
Food, tradition, and culture was the hot topic at Welcome to Chinatown with with James Beard award-winning food writer Cathy Erway. Our conversation talking about childhood family meals to cooking for our own families, Chinatown resources, and Asian and vegan twists on holiday dishes definitely made everyone hungry! Our paparazzi demo moment was followed with DIY spring roll (page 84) making with a filling made with seasonal produce provided by Local Roots and smoked tofu, these would make the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer – here's this seasonal recipe!
DECEMBER 11
Hong Kong Association of New York Holiday Party at Potluck Club (TICKETS)
Stay tuned for more events in January celebrating Lunar New Year!
For collaborations and private events, contact christine@consciouscooking.studio
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