Creating a legacy: Asian food businesses in New York immortalised in cookbook full of personal stories and favourite recipes
- Made Here is a 352-page cookbook that features profiles of individuals from 43 Asian food businesses in 24 New York neighbourhoods – and their recipes
- It is the latest of several initiatives by non-profit group Send Chinatown Love, a collective of volunteers keen to help small Asian businesses keep going
When Kent Zhang Zhiqiang was growing up in Beijing during the tumult of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), his family could not afford to buy meat. Luckily, his mother was creative in the kitchen, concocting dishes that tasted like meat but were actually vegetarian.
One of her recipes was vegan sweet and sour ribs, made with glutinous rice flour in between slices of vegan “ham”, made from soy.
The recently self-published 352-page book contains profiles of individuals from 43 food businesses in 24 New York neighbourhoods, immigrants not only from China, but also other Asian countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, India and Thailand.
There are also second- and third-generation Asian-Americans featured. All of them recount personal stories, and pass along a favourite recipe.
Food writers and editors, along with photographers, illustrators and designers, all volunteered their time and expertise to produce the culinary tome.
