South Philly is home to immigrant groups from several parts of Asia, and at the end of June it’ll be abuzz with Philly foodies ready to celebrate Asian cuisines.
Joining Philly’s summer festival line-up is From Our Hands, a new festival spotlighting the meals of the city’s Asian-owned restaurants and the stories of the people who make them.
The inaugural event is the brain-child of Hanna Kim, founder of food justice group Asian Food Collective, and Cindy Ngo, founder of the storytelling and event series Roots to Table. The festival is a culmination of the work the two projects have been doing.
Asian Food Collective’s origins began when Kim first moved to Philly in 2019. After completing time studying at a predominantly white institution, facing isolation in the early aughts of the pandemic and dealing with rising anti-Asian hate, Kim found herself searching for community.
As a regular volunteer with the South Philadelphia Community Fridge, Kim wanted a space where people would not only cook together, but give back to the community.
“Not being near my parents who live in North Carolina, I felt a little disconnected with homemade meals because I’m not that big of a cook,” Kim said. “I wanted to be in a space where I can cook all these dishes, especially after a hard few years.”
Kim received a grant and mentorship from the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative, and with that the backing she needed to officially found Asian Food Collective in 2023.
Asian Food Collective meets weekly at Old Pine Community Center, where participants cook Asian cuisine. The group is open to anyone, not just people of Asian descent, but it’s intended to be a way to connect with Asian cultures.
“I love building connections through food,” Kim said. “Some of my best memories have been over dinner with friends and even strangers.”
The Asian Food Collective cooks together on Saturdays. (Courtesy of Hanna Kim)
Meanwhile, Ngo was interested in reviving an old project meant to shine a light on the people behind Philly’s favorite restaurants.
A hospitality worker for over ten years, Ngo said the public doesn’t know how hard it is to not only open a restaurant but maintain the business and retain customers. “My parents were immigrants and tried opening a business and restaurant, but it didn’t go so well and it put them in a spot where they felt they couldn’t chase their dreams,” Ngo said. “I didn’t want that for other people.”
With the help of Kim, Ngo applied to the same AAWPI grant and received funding to launch Roots to Table. Ngo conducts interviews with local Asian-owned restaurant owners and staff, digging into the stories of the people working behind the counter and what the food means to them.
“Sometimes a lot of these highlighted restaurants are … Instagrammable, or they’re new,” Ngo said. “We’re not continuously giving praises to those who have been in the community [and] may not be Instagrammable, but they have the best food.”
Roots to Table offers free marketing for these restaurants, which is a resource that may be hard to come by for new restaurant owners, especially immigrants.
“You are the chef, the owner, HR. You are everything,” Ngo said. “And then to put another component like social media manager, that is not an easy thing for anyone so the idea is to help lift that burden.”
Ngo said that the reason why immigrants open restaurants is because it reminds them of home. “They don’t see themselves represented in Philly’s food scene so they have to do it themselves in order to feel seen and heard,” she said.
Kim wanted to be intentional about uplifting not only the dish, but the people who make it.
The way Asian Food Collective does that is by going on group outings to Asian restaurants in the city every quarter. But with so many restaurants in the city and with so little time, it’s difficult to visit all the ones on the wish list, especially the hole-in-the-wall spots. And so at a food festival, these restaurants can be all in one place.
Cafe Walnut is one of the restaurants that benefitted from Roots to Table’s coverage and is participating in “From Our Hands.” (Courtesy of Cindy Ngo)
Kim and Ngo want From Our Hands to be a space where not only East Asians are represented but all Asians, in order to demonstrate there is not one specific way to be “Asian enough.”
“Many of us are either immigrants who have been living here for some time,” Kim said. “It’s important to build this community of solidarity with each other, and maybe this is a step for healing from those generational traumas that occurred in the homeland [so we can move] forward as Asian Americans.”
The “From Our Hands" festival will offer hot meals, baked goods, and drinks from vendors representing multiple Asian countries. Participants include Cafe Walnut and Vientiane Bistro. Artists and crafters will also be selling their work.
Attendees can also listen to a panel led by Journey to the West with local creatives, chefs, community organizers, and small business owners talking about their experiences following creative pursuits.
The event will also have Asian American advocacy groups Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and Asian Americans United on hand to provide resources.
“People tend to love our food but not our people. Well guess what? The food is literally from our hands,” Kim said. “So we want you to not only see the different kinds of food and art you’re going to enjoy, we want you to see the hands behind the grill, the hands behind the coffees, the drinks, the pastries all from our hands.”
Vending and volunteer opportunities are still open. Sign up forms for restaurants, artists, organizations, and volunteers are available at this page with drop-down links. The deadline to register is June 15.
“From Our Hands” will take place Sunday, June 29. at Fleisher Art Memorial in Bella Vista from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free tickets are available.
