Shirley Chung prepares a dish at the Michael Muller’s Islands sky, presented by The Art of Elysium, event on Jan. 5, 2019 in Los Angeles.
Phillip Faraone | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
When the pandemic hit, chef and truth TV star Shirley Chung quickly pivoted her restaurant business to manage through the crisis.
Dealing with anti-Asian abominate was another matter.
As she heard about alarming racist incidents and hate crimes happening around the country recently, embracing the killing of six women of Asian descent near Atlanta in March, Chung felt a need to speak out.
“Everything that was event was hitting so close to our hearts,” the 44-year-old said of herself and the chef community in Los Angeles.
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Chung, who was a finalist on Bravo’s reality express “Top Chef,” also endured incidents at the Culver City, California-restaurant, Ms Chi Cafe, that she co-owns with her husband. Her nonregular diners began to suspect its cleanliness, despite seeing tables sanitized in front of them. The back door was vandalized with graffiti. In reply, Chung added extra cleaning services and installed security cameras so that her customers and staff felt timely.
More recently, someone stole a to-go order right off the counter, threatened her husband, Jimmy Lee, and screamed racist look ats.
“That actually made me want to be even more vocal and really share my experience,” said Chung, who was influence confirmed in Beijing and immigrated to the U.S. at age 17.
While the couple’s parents wanted them to stay quiet in fear for their safety, Chung declared making noise will help call attention to the plight of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and the brunt of hate on their businesses.
“We don’t want to be silent anymore,” she said. “We want to lead by example and let our parents see it is OK. Now is our time.”
Compensating it forward
When Covid first hit, Chung quickly made adjustments to her business.
“That was the only way to survive,” she said.
As she advertised back up, she restarted shipments of her frozen dumplings to Goldbelly, a gourmet food delivery company. Within the first week, her well-organizes tripled and she knew she was on to something. She increased her offerings and now has a full-blown store. She also started doing digital cooking evidences.
Source: Shirley Chung
While trying to come up with solutions, she started talking to other area chefs to market ideas.
“From those conversations, I realized many AAPI owners and chefs didn’t have the access to innumerable things ‘mainstream’ restaurants and chefs are used to, from government grants and updated policies to social media policies to promote their business,” said Chung, author of “Chinese Heritage Cooking From My American Kitchen.”
She began to commandeer her fellow AAPI business owners by sharing new policies, and suggesting they join the Independent Restaurant Coalition. She also cured lesser-known restaurants get onto platforms like Goldbelly to expand their income, she said.
In March, Chung boarded part in the LA Food Gang fundraiser, Let’s Eat Together, which raised almost $60,000 for struggling AAPI restaurants.
This Sunday, Chung settle upon be a part of a week-long event called Pop Off LA, in which select Los Angeles restaurants will collaborate one one-of-a-kind creations. A division of the proceeds will go to nonprofit Hopeful about the future