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Gold House and Opentable Announce Nine Semi-Finalists for 'Gold Chef Prize' Celebrating Asian Pacific Culinary Excellence
Chefs in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco are recognized for their talent, impact on the culinary industry, and passion for furthering Asian Pacific representation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 22, 2024 / In the culinary industry, Asian Pacific representation lags: only 19% of head chefs are Asian, compared to 59% who are white (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). To uplift Asian Pacific chefs, Gold House, the leading cultural ecosystem uniting, investing in, and championing Asian Pacific creatives and companies, and OpenTable, a leader in restaurant tech, launched the Gold Chef Prize in November and today, announce nine inspiring semi-finalists who are making a difference in the industry and Asian Pacific community.
The Gold Chef Prize launched with an open call for chefs in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, ultimately narrowed down to three chefs per city by Gold House and OpenTable. These nine semi-finalists will receive benefits from OpenTable and Gold House, including special pricing from OpenTable and an invitation to Gold House Futures, featuring exclusive invitations to Asian Pacific community events and access to growth and collaboration resources. They'll also advance in the competition before the field is narrowed further to three finalists who will each receive $10,000 in funding and mentorship by leading Asian Pacific chefs.
The nine semi-finalists are:
Los Angeles
- Nico de Leon, chef and owner of Lasita, serving Filipino-American cuisine through his lens as a native Angeleno and Californian.
- Katianna Hong, chef and co-owner of Yangban, a modern Korean American restaurant.
- Sujan Sarkar, chef and partner at Baar Baar, serving reimagined Indian cuisine.
New York City
- Eric Huang, founder and chef of Pecking House, specializing in Taiwanese fried chicken.
- Christine Lau, chef of Chino Grande, offering Chinese/Latino fusion cuisine that pays homage to New York City's Chinese Latin American restaurants from the 60's and 70's.
- Kyo Pang, two-time James Beard Foundation Award semi-finalist and founder and executive chef of Kopitiam, featuring Malay cuisine.
San Francisco
- Matthew Ho, chef and owner of Bodega, serving traditional Northern Vietnamese cuisine.
- Alex Hong, chef and owner of Sorrel, a One-Star MICHELIN restaurant highlighting New Californian cuisine.
- Heena Patel, James Beard Foundation Award semi-finalist and chef and co-owner of Besharam, a regional Gujarati restaurant.
"Chefs play a crucial role in reminding us of the past, delighting us in the present, and pushing us towards the future. These nine chefs represent the possibilities that food can play in changing culture, all using their specific life experiences to create food with universal impact. We're honored to partner with OpenTable to spotlight these chefs and their culinary talents," said Rose Yan, Vice President of Marketing of Gold House.
"These nine chefs are deeply passionate about sharing their cultural heritage with the world through the meals they create," said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. "Their unique approach to their craft shines a spotlight on the diversity that exists within Asian cuisine - and the important role food can play in helping each of us experience and deepen our understanding of different cultures."
Next, an esteemed cohort of culinary icons, award-winning chefs, and leading food industry voices - Martin Yan, Jet Tila, Brandon Jew, Chintan Pandya, Carlo Lamagna, Esther Choi, Mei Lin, Shota Nakajima, Wade and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Junghyun Park and Stephanie Wu - will dine at each semifinalist's restaurant and aid in selecting the three finalists. They will also help to identify the ultimate prize winner, who will serve as the Executive Chef of the 2024 A100 Welcome Dinner that honors the A100, the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific cultural and business leaders.
To learn more about the Gold Chef prize and follow along as the finalists and winner are announced, see more on Instagram via @GoldHouse and @OpenTable.
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About Gold House
Gold House is the leading cultural ecosystem that unites, invests in, and champions Asian Pacific creators and companies to power tomorrow for all. Under a nonprofit umbrella, our innovative family of companies, programs, and platforms include membership systems and events to fortify relationships among the Asian Pacific community and with other marginalized communities (#StopAsianHate); first-of-its kind investment vehicles and accelerators to propel the next generation of top Asian Pacific founders, creatives, and leaders (Gold House Ventures, Creative Equity Fund); and industry-leading research, consulting, and marketing to promote authentic and affirming portrayals (Gold Story Consultation, Gold Open, Gold List, A100 List). To learn more, visit www.goldhouse.org or follow @GoldHouseCo on Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads, and LinkedIn.
About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc., helps 55,000 restaurants, bars, wineries and other venues worldwide fill 1.6 billion seats a year. OpenTable powers reservations, experiences, payments, guest insights and operations, enabling restaurants to focus on doing what they do best: providing great hospitality.
Media Contact
Rose Yan, VP of Marketing, Gold House
Jackie Miller, Senior Director, Global Communications, OpenTable
Contact Information
Rose Yan
VP of Marketing
press@goldhouse.org
Jackie Miller
Senior Director, Global Communications, OpenTable
jackiem@opentable.com
SOURCE: Gold House
View the original press release on newswire.com.