Join us during Madison’s Very Asian Week on Thursday, July 7 for an evening panel discussion presented by Madison Magazine and The Very Asian Foundation. A networking hour featuring an appetizer dish by Chef Tory Miller will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by News 3 Now evening anchor Charlotte Deleste.
Panelists will discuss what it means to be Very Asian and Very American. Guests will learn more about how they bring their full humanity to the table, what their challenges are as a collective, how to advance conversations in equity and how to work together with allies and community partners. While guests network, they can enjoy a vegetarian japchae noodle appetizer made by Chef Tory Miller of L’Etoile and Graze.
Tickets are $25 for an individual ticket/$145 for six corporate tickets and can be purchased by clicking here. We only have a limited number of seats, so get your tickets before they sell out! A portion of the ticket price will be donated to The Very Asian Foundation, who will use the funds raised throughout the week to provide access to Asian American youth literature in libraries in Wisconsin, since there is no mandatory curriculum. If you’d like to make a donation beyond the ticket price, you can do so by clicking here, or make an additional donation at the event. Thank you to our incredible event venue host, the American Family Institute for Corporate and Social Impact! The Institute, with a mission to close equity gaps in education and healthy youth development, will offer a matching incentive for proceeds Very Asian Week and the panel event up to $10,000.
WHEN: Thursday, July 7, 2022 WHERE: American Family Institute, 821 E. Washington Ave. in The Spark building (8th floor) TIME: 5-6 p.m. — Networking + vegetarian japchae noodle appetizer by Chef Tory Miller 6-7:30 p.m. — Panel Discussion PARKING: There is a city parking garage directly behind The Spark building on South Livingston and East Main streets.
MEET OUR MODERATOR AND PANELISTS
Charlotte Deleste Charlotte Deleste in an award-winning veteran journalist and evening anchor of News 3 Now at Six and Ten. Deleste will be our Very Asian & Very American panel discussion moderator. She is also the co-founder of Gio’s Garden, a therapeutic respite care nonprofit for children with special needs in Middleton. The first generation Filipino-American is also a board & lifetime member of Wisconsin Women of Color Network, and a member of PAMANA (Philippine-American Association of Madison & Neighboring Areas).
Michelle Li Michelle Li is an award-winning, veteran journalist who co-launched The Very Asian Foundation in January 2022 alongside friend and fellow journalist Gia Vang. Her response to a racist voicemail became a global movement of unity and caught the attention of The Ellen Show. Ellen’s monetary gift of $15,000 helped start the seed money to create a nonprofit focused on shining a light on Asian life through advocacy and celebration. Not only has The Very Asian Foundation raised tens of thousands of dollars for AANHPI nonprofits in its first 100 days, it is also launching a national awareness campaign called The May Book Project. A Korean adoptee, Michelle spent many years supporting adoptees through heritage camps and volunteer tours to Korea. She also launched a program to support Missouri children in foster care. This work led to a congressional award in 2010. Michelle’s reporting has been honored with a national Peabody Award, four national Murrows, and multiple regional Emmys — often for covering topics related to race or gender inequities. Michelle has appeared on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and The Washington Post. She is releasing a children’s book this fall with Gloo Books called A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food. Michelle currently resides in St. Louis with her family. She is @michellelitv on most platforms.
Alice Choi Alice Choi is the creator behind the food blog, Hip Foodie Mom. She is a food content creator and recipe developer. Alice is a proud Korean American, wife, mother of two and loves to cook and eat. Her recipes can be found on her website: Hip Foodie Mom and her videos across social media: mainly Instagram and TikTok. Alice focuses on Korean food, Asian food, viral food trends and easy weeknight meals. In March 2021, when Asian hate and violence was at an all-time high, Alice made a decision to use her platform on social media to amplify and share stories and events from the AAPI community. She also made a conscious decision to share more Korean food and Asian food recipes and to show her face more in videos for AAPI representation. After this, Alice’s Instagram account grew and she gained more than 40,000 new followers. She also now has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok. The AAPI creator community in food content on social media is the largest it has ever been and Alice is proud to be a small part of that. Alice and her recipes have been featured on Channel3000 (News 3 Now), Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, HuffingtonPost.com, Parade.com, BuzzFeed.com, TheKitchn.com, Self.com, People.com, TODAY.com, Feedfeed.com, Midwest Living Magazine, People Magazine and Food Network Magazine, BRAVA Magazine, The TODAY Show, Good Morning America and The Drew Barrymore Show. Alice lives in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Paul, and their two daughters, Phoebe and Madeline. Her love for Wisconsin cheese and everything Madison related remains constant.
Francesca Hong Francesca Hong (she/her) is a mom, service industry worker, small business owner, community organizer, and the first Asian American elected as a Wisconsin State Representative. She represents the 76th Assembly District in Madison. Hong is the co-founder of the Culinary Ladies Collective, an organization empowering women and non-binary food and beverage professionals through shared resources, networking, and fundraising for equity focused nonprofit organizations. Hong is an outspoken advocate for Asian American Pacific Islander representation, sponsoring and co-sponsoring legislation condemning anti-Asian hate, recognizing Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month, and expanding Veteran benefits for Lao Veterans of the Vietnam War. She serves on the executive committee of the AAPI Coalition of Wisconsin. A co-author of the Economic Justice Bill of Rights, Healthy School Meals for All and Landlord Due Diligence act, Hong has a vision to reshape the state around an economy of care and worker justice. When she’s not working in her restaurant, fighting in the capitol or connecting in community, Hong shares space with her son, George, in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood.
Tory Miller Tory Miller took his early passion for food to the French Culinary Institute, leading to jobs at several high-end restaurants in New York, including Eleven Madison Park and Judson Grill, before he arrived at L’Etoile to work as Odessa Piper’s chef de cuisine. Now, as the executive chef for L’Etoile and Graze, Miller is fulfilling his dream of taking local farm-raised ingredients to the next level. Preferring old world cooking methods, his kitchens produce a variety of house-made products like artisan cured meats, pastas, breads, butters, fruit preserves, pickled vegetables and more. His creativity and talent have gotten him noticed far and wide with recognitions such as the James Beard Foundation’s 2012 Best Chef: Midwest award, Santé Magazine’s “Culinary Hospitality of the Year” Grand Award, Gourmet Magazine’s “America’s Top 50 Restaurants”, Saveur’s “Top 100” and the title of Madison Magazine’s “2010 Chef of the Year.”
Mike Moh Mike Moh is a martial artist, actor, husband, and father of three. He founded Moh’s Martial Arts in Waunakee in 2013 with the mission of building physical, mental, and emotional strength of students of all ages and abilities. He and his wife, Richelle, also own Go Ninja — a ninja warrior inspired indoor playground. As an actor, Moh has appeared in numerous film and TV projects. He is best known for playing Bruce Lee in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.” You will be able to see him in the upcoming films “Blade of 47 Ronin” coming to Netflix this fall and in “Ghosted” with his co-stars Chris Evans and Ana De Armas on Apple TV+ next year.
Gabe Javier Gabe Javier is originally from Missouri and is the son of Filipino immigrants. His early exposure to social justice and equity came from attending Catholic Jesuit schools in St. Louis and Kansas City. Later, Gabe attended the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (UM), where he earned a graduate degree in higher education administration and worked alongside peer educators at UM’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center. Gabe arrived in Madison in 2011, first serving as assistant dean/director of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center and later the Multicultural Student Center. Gabe currently serves as associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs – Identity and Inclusion, where he supports the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, McBurney Disability Resource Center, the Multicultural Student Center, the Office of Inclusion Education and University Veteran Services. Gabe also serves on the Unity Point Health – Meriter Foundation Board of Directors and is a Doctoral Candidate at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He lives on the near east side of Madison with his rescue pittie mix, Ava.
Learn more about Very Asian Week here.
In accordance with Madison Magazine’s duty to host safe and responsible events, proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within three days prior to the event is required to enter the Very Asian & Very American Panel Discussion. This policy complies with all applicable laws and is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities. All attendees must check in with their vaccination card or proof of a negative COVID-19 test at the information booth at the entrance to the event. ENTRY TO THE EVENT WILL BE DENIED OF ANY PERSON WHO DOES NOT COMPLY with this policy.
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