Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate had already planned a special Lunar New Year dinner at Wharf restaurant Moon Rabbit on Sunday, January 29. Then news came of the mass shooting at a dance hall in Monterey Park, California, which left 10 people dead. The DC-based organization, which supports Asian American Pacific Islander causes through culinary connections, sprang into action.
“For something so terrible to happen on a day meant to celebrate life, love, and family, we had to turn our attention to put the funds where they’re needed,” says Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien, co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate. “That’s always been our mission—how can we raise money through food, and where can the proceeds go to help immediately.”
The ticketed dinner ($200 per person) will benefit victims and families in Monterey Park, as well as two local AAPI causes as part of chef Grace Young’s #SupportChinatowns initiative: the 1882 Foundation, a Chinese civil rights nonprofit, and the Washington Chinese Youth Club. The event is a collaboration with seven chefs, who will each serve a course: Masako Morishita (Perry’s), Maketto chef Erik Bruner-Yang, Yuan Tang of Rooster & Owl, Paolo Dungca (Sari and the forthcoming Hiraya), Moon Rabbit pastry chef Susan Bae, and Chef’s Stopping AAPI Hate co-founder Tim Ma (Lucky Danger). Tickets to the event, 6:30 to 10:30 PM, are available here.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
