The Center for Asian American Media has released some new food-focused offerings for the month of May as part of its yearly celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. First, check out the documentary Soul of a Banquet, about local culinary hero Cecilia Chiang. Director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) has included interviews with Chiang herself, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters, and tells the story of Chiang’s life and culinary influence. You can also download it here.
There are also three documentaries that are part of “Filipino American Lives,” and Lucky Chow is a television series produced by CAAM. Each of the six episodes is an hour long, and follows Lucky Rice culinary festival founder Danielle Chang as she travels across the United States exploring Asian food and the people who cook it. Episodes include one about Northern Thai food, another on Koreatown in both Los Angeles and New York, and one entire episode devoted to the ramen craze. Check your local PBS listings for airtimes.
Cecilia Chiang in “Soul of a Banquet.” Be sure to watch this beautiful documentary about her. Photo via Facebook.
