Chinese Cuisine in America exhibit @ Chinese American Museum

The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC)'s new exhibition "Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles & Successes" opens to the public on Sunday, December 11, at 10:00am. Through waves of Chinese immigration since the California Gold Rush, Chinese American cuisine continuously transformed itself and now reflects a blossoming of Chinese and Chinese American regional styles. Come explore this fascinating history, enjoy cooking demonstrations, and examine the complex history of Chicago Chinese American restaurants through interviews with local restaurateurs during the pandemic.

238 W. 23rd Street, Chicago, IL 60616 Tel: 312-949-1000 Fax: 312-949-1001 http://www.ccamuseum.org

Press release:
Chinese American Museum of Chicago Opens Exhibition on Chinese Cuisine

(Chicago, IL, December 7, 2022) --The Chinese American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC) is pleased to announce the opening of its next major exhibition, Chinese Cuisine in America: Stories, Struggles and Successes. Highlighting the struggles, resiliency, and entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese Americans, the exhibition chronicles the complex and often conflicting nature of Chinese Americans in America tying in its immigration history to the popularization of Chinese cuisine from chop suey to dim sum to spicy hotpot. The exhibit will open to the public, Sunday, December, 11, 2022 at 10 a.m. CST and run for an extended period.

We hope that visitors will enjoy this exhibition based on a thousands-year-old cuisine that has been appreciated by so many Americans. Chinese restaurants have become a neighborhood staple where families have gathered and celebrated for generations, as well as a delightful introduction to more regional flavors," explained Soo Lon Moy, Head of Exhibitions and immediate past president. "We plan on cooking demonstrations and other fun family activities throughout the year, so watch for upcoming announcements," added Ben Lau, Executive Director of CAMOC.

Culinary experts will recognize locally-connected restaurants and chefs showcased such as Bob Chinn's Crab House, Sun Wah BBQ, Tony Hu's Group; long-time standbys, Orange Garden Restaurant/Jade Cafe, Tong's Tea Garden, Mee Mah Restaurant, Triple Crown Restaurant, Friendship Chinese Restaurant; early pioneers, Guey Sam, Chiam, Chef Shangri-la, and King's Restaurants; and noted author and chef, Ken Hom CBE.

Their stories show their ambassadorship of Chinese culture and food in the U.S, as well as their contribution to Chicago as a major culinary city - including one where the hundred-year-old Chinatown is still vibrant and known as the only one to be still growing in the States. The exhibition covers the immigration of Chinese to America and how they survived, the formation of Chinatowns, the Era of Opulence, the diversity of later Chinese immigrants bringing with them their regional cooking, and current trends in Chinese cuisine.

Chinese American Museum of Chicago, founded in 2005, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation, dedicated to the advancement in the appreciation of Chinese American culture and its contributions as an important part of the American fabric. It does this through exhibitions, education, and research to preserve the past, present, and future of Chinese Americans primarily in the Midwest.