Set in Times Square, Taste Asia is New York’s premier outdoor food festival, and more. Taste Asia chefs, including master chefs from around the world and some of New York’s finest, will showcase their abilities using Taste Asia’s trademark fully equipped outdoor kitchens, wowing the crowd and live television viewers. They will focus on ingredients and recipes that span across Asian countries and cultures.
A host of Asian and Asian-inspired restaurants will be onsite to provide tastings, and a live stage featuring Asian cultural performances will round out the experience. The resulting celebration of Asian cuisine serves as a bridge connecting not only those countries, but also East and West, through the love of food and culture.
Taste Asia is the largest Asian food festival in North America and the only live-cooking event at Times Square. The Taste Asia 2015 includes a Best Asian NYC Restaurants Contest (June 1-20), a two-day food festival (June 26-27), a day of Asian and Asian-inspired cooking and cultural performances (June 26), the grand finals of the 7th International Chinese Culinary Competition (June 27), and two affiliated Taste Asia banquets at James Beard House (June 28).
Taste Asia Luncheon is a special event on June 28 featuring Michelin-starred Executive Chef and owner at Haldi and Chola, Hemant Mathur and wife, pastry chef Surbhi Sahni (Bittersweet NYC). With Chef Mathur in the kitchen, success comes by the fistful. New York’s Devi became the city’s first restaurant to earn a Michelin star with Mathur at the helm and when he opened Tulsi, the very same mark of distinction ensued. You can find his newest fare at Haldi and Chola. Surbhi Sahni’s expertise and innovative spirit brings a unique perspective to modern Indian cuisine. Her creations are inspired by her childhood meals, her knowledge of Eastern and Western styles, and her experience in various New York restaurants for the past 15 years. She enjoys inventing desserts by using traditional Indian ingredients, such as curry leaf, cilantro, ginger and cardamom, and a blend of Indian, European and American pastry techniques.
Also on June 28 will be the Taste Asia Awards Dinner featuring the Executive Chef at Radiance and winner of the 2011 International Chinese Culinary Competition, Zizhao Luo. Hailing from “The City of Chefs,” Shunde, Guangzhou China, Chef Luo has received many awards for his outstanding contributions to the Asian food industry during an illustrious 30-year career. Known as one of Beijing’s “Top 4 Chefs,” Luo has worked as an executive chef for some of the most famous restaurants in China. Many of his former apprentices have gone on to work as head chefs at restaurants at China’s five-star hotels. His awards, “Medal Master of Chinese Cooking,” “Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Chef,” and “Huang Tai Asian Kitchen Medal,” attest to his exquisite culinary acumen. Chef Luo was the gold medal winner at the 4th International Chinese Culinary Competition held in Times Square, New York. In 2014, Chef Luo was the sole master chef representing the State of New York in the prestigious Great American Seafood Cookoff. He currently serves as the Executive Chef at Radiance in New York.