Meet Liwei Liao, The Dry Aged Fish King of Los Angeles

What We've Learned From Podcasting (So Far)

Hi! As we wrap up season one of the Chinese Food Fight Club podcast, we reflect on what we've learned—tech-wise, skills-wise, and self-reflection-wise—from working on our inaugural episodes. Thank you so much for joining us for our first season! Please subscribe to Chinese Food Fight Club on YouTube and your favorite podcast platform—season two is just around the corner! Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] is a multimedia platform and consultancy inspired by a dining club created by Andy Wang and Danica Lo at Legend in New York City in 2011. Our mission is to connect the Chinese-American community with other Asian communities while amplifying the stories of Asian and Asian-American creators, chefs, artists, activists, policy-makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. You can find us elsewhere on the internet at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfightclub] and you can watch these episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvTDnZS7l5CB6kUk60SBGw]. Stuff we mention in this video: • Junzi Kitchen [https://www.junzi.kitchen/our-story] • Lucas Sin [https://www.instagram.com/lucas.sin/?hl=en] • Book: Land of Fish and Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop [https://amzn.to/3oMhQcK] • Book: Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop [https://amzn.to/3Au2s7g] • Book: The Globalization of Chinese Food [https://amzn.to/3mFhL8b] • Book: The Food of China [https://amzn.to/3luo7rq] • Book: Food in Chinese Culture [https://amzn.to/3apyNBw] • Marissa Hermer [https://www.instagram.com/marissahermer/?hl=en] • Shazam [https://www.shazam.com/] • Book: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles [https://amzn.to/3lrSz5F] • Seoul Sausage [https://www.seoulsausage.com/] Andy Wang [https://www.instagram.com/andywangnyla] has written regularly about restaurants and bars for Food & Wine, Los Angeles Magazine, Robb Report and Observer. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Zagat Stories, Las Vegas Weekly, Vegas Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Yahoo Travel, Taste, Ocean Drive and many other publications. He is co-host of LA Food Gang on Clubhouse. Andy was previously the real estate and travel editor at the New York Post. A former dot-com entrepreneur, he wrote the first New York Times stories about both Google and blogs. Danica Lo [https://www.youtube.com/danicalo] was, most recently, the chief content officer of Tatler Asia, where she led print and digital teams in eight markets: Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Previously, she led digital editorial teams at some of the largest consumer lifestyle media brands in the United States, including Food & Wine, WWD, Glamour, and Epicurious. A native New Yorker and former Wilhelmina plus-size model, she holds degrees from the University of Oxford, Dartmouth College, and London's Central Saint Martins.

Ricebox LA's Leo & Lydia Lee: A New Generation of Mom & Pop Chinese Restaurants

Hi! In this episode of Chinese Food Fight Club, we check in with Lydia and Leo Lee, the mom-and-pop team behind Cantonese barbecue restaurant RiceBox in downtown Los Angeles. Lydia and Leo Lee opened RiceBox [https://www.ricebox.net/] in 2018 and quickly turned their tiny restaurant into a game-changing standard-bearer for contemporary Cantonese barbecue, including what Los Angeles magazine named as the city's best char siu in 2020. The success of RiceBox [https://www.instagram.com/riceboxla/ ] involves a family recipe from a Hong Kong restaurant that Lydia's grandfather owned. But the restaurant's ascension is also largely due to Leo's cooking experience and creativity, which has led to innovations like merging Cantonese roast pork with porchetta [https://www.goldbelly.com/rice-box ]. Leo was born and raised in Mexicali, Mexico, where his parents had a Chinese restaurant. He then graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked at the Patina Restaurant Group in LA before opening RiceBox with Lydia, who grew up in Hong Kong and Vancouver. The Lees are also new parents, who had their son, Ari, during the pandemic. Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] is a multimedia platform and consultancy inspired by a dining club created by Andy Wang and Danica Lo at Legend in New York City in 2011. Our mission is to connect the Chinese-American community with other Asian communities while amplifying the stories of Asian and Asian-American creators, chefs, artists, activists, policy-makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. You can find us elsewhere on the internet at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfightclub] and you can watch these episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvTDnZS7l5CB6kUk60SBGw]. Stuff we mention in this video: • Los Angeles magazine's Best of LA 2020 [https://www.lamag.com/article/best-of-la-2020/] • LA Food Gang's Clubhouse fundraiser and Pop Off LA events [https://www.lafoodgang.com/] • The Culinary Institute of America [https://www.ciachef.edu/] • Patina Restaurant Group [https://www.patinagroup.com] • Anti-Asian hate incidents [https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/how-los-angeles-communities-are-responding-to-a-surge-in-anti-asian-hate-112797765762] experienced by restaurants and other small businesses [https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/10/covid-and-racism-are-devastating-for-many-asian-owned-small-businesses.html] • The Chinese community in Mexicali [https://dialogochino.net/en/agriculture/12148-why-a-chinese-community-settled-in-the-mexican-desert/] • The San Gabriel Valley [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gabriel_Valley] • RiceBox's holiday baked chicken [https://www.lafoodiepanda.com/post/thanksgiving-baked-chicken-ricebox-s-version-of-beggar-s-chicke] • Chrissy Teigen and the power of her Instagram posts [https://www.instagram.com/chrissyteigen/] • Yu Tsai [https://www.yutsai.com/] • Phil Rosenthal [https://www.philrosenthalworld.com/] • Bling Empire [https://www.netflix.com/title/81039144] • Delicious Food Corner [https://www.deliciousfoodcorner.com/] • Alice's Kitchen [http://www.aliceskitchen626.com/] • Golden Deli [https://thegoldendeli.com/] • Ms. Chi and Shirley Chung [https://mschicafe.com/]

Meet Liwei Liao, The Dry Aged Fish King of Los Angeles

In this episode of Chinese Food Fight Club, we talk with fishmonger Liwei Liao [https://www.instagram.com/dry_aged_fish_guy/], the dry-aged fish king of Los Angeles. Born in Taiwan and raised in Bayside, Queens, Liao studied engineering at UCLA before launching The Boba Truck at the height of the social-media-food-truck convergence in 2008. In 2018, Liao opened The Joint [https://www.thejointeatery.com/], a sustainable seafood market and coffee shop in Sherman Oaks where his motto is #freshisboring [https://www.instagram.com/jointseafood/]. Here, Liao tells us why he's a champion of dry aged fish, and talks about his childhood growing up in Queens, New York. Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] is a multimedia platform and consultancy inspired by a dining club created by Andy Wang and Danica Lo at Legend in New York City in 2011. Our mission is to connect the Chinese-American community with other Asian communities while amplifying the stories of Asian and Asian-American creators, chefs, artists, activists, policy-makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. You can find us elsewhere on the internet at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfightclub] and you can watch these episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvTDnZS7l5CB6kUk60SBGw]. Stuff we mention in this video: • The Joint's $320 Temaki Box [https://www.exploretock.com/thejointeatery/] • Alley Pond Park in Bayside, Queens [https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/Q001/] • Bronx High School of Science [https://www.bxscience.edu/] • Damian, Los Angeles [https://www.damiandtla.com/] • Paul Bartolotta [https://www.bartolottas.com/about/our-team/paul-bartolotta] • Jon Yao's Kato in Los Angeles [https://www.katorestaurant.com/] • Father's Office in Los Angeles [https://fathersoffice.com/] • The Brother's Sushi in Los Angeles [https://thebrotherssushi.com/] • Anajak Thai in Los Angeles [https://www.anajakthai.com/] • Rustic Canyon in Los Angeles [https://rusticcanyonrestaurant.com/] • Sea Stephanie Fish [https://www.seastephaniefish.com/] • Ora King Salmon [https://orakingsalmon.co.nz/]

Real Talk About Being Asian American Third Culture Kids (and Food!) | September 2021

Hi! Welcome to our first Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] podcast Hot Topics episode—where we discuss things we've learned from recent guests, things we've been thinking about, and what we've been up to, and how it all relates to being a first-generation Asian American and a third-culture kid. Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] is a multimedia platform and consultancy inspired by a dining club created by Andy Wang and Danica Lo at Legend in New York City in 2011. Our mission is to connect the Chinese-American community with other Asian communities while amplifying the stories of Asian and Asian-American creators, chefs, artists, activists, policy-makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. You can find us elsewhere on the internet at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfightclub] and you can watch these episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvTDnZS7l5CB6kUk60SBGw]. Stuff we mention in this video: • Mian restaurant, Los Angeles [https://miantaste.com/] • Fly by Jing Sichuan sauces [https://flybyjing.com/] • Szechuan Grandma, Long Island [http://www.scgrandma.com/] • Junzi Kitchen, New York [https://www.junzi.kitchen/] • Shirley Chung's Ms Chi on Goldbelly [https://www.goldbelly.com/shirley-chungs-ms-chi] • Xi'an Famous Foods on Goldbelly [https://www.goldbelly.com/xian-famous-foods] • Jon Yao's Kato restaurant, Los Angeles [https://www.katorestaurant.com/] • Anthony Bourdain at Xi'an Famous Foods [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7JYtwr2zco] • Robot pony for children [https://seekingalpha.com/news/3737590-xpeng-reveals-rideable-smart-robot-pony-for-children] • Parkour robot [http://blog.bostondynamics.com/atlas-leaps-bounds-and-backflips] • Damien Hirst's NFT initiative [https://news.artnet.com/market/damien-hirst-nft-update-2002582] Andy Wang [https://www.instagram.com/andywangnyla] has written regularly about restaurants and bars for Food & Wine, Los Angeles Magazine, Robb Report and Observer. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Zagat Stories, Las Vegas Weekly, Vegas Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Yahoo Travel, Taste, Ocean Drive and many other publications. He is co-host of LA Food Gang on Clubhouse. Andy was previously the real estate and travel editor at the New York Post. A former dot-com entrepreneur, he wrote the first New York Times stories about both Google and blogs. Danica Lo [https://www.youtube.com/danicalo] was, most recently, the chief content officer of Tatler Asia, where she led print and digital teams in eight markets: Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Previously, she led digital editorial teams at some of the largest consumer lifestyle media brands in the United States, including Food & Wine, WWD, Glamour, and Epicurious. A native New Yorker and former Wilhelmina plus-size model, she holds degrees from the University of Oxford, Dartmouth College, and London's Central Saint Martins.

LA Food Gang's Crystal Coser of Bites & Bashes: A-List Celebrity Caterer

Hi! In this episode of Chinese Food Fight Club, we talk to Crystal Coser, who runs one of LA's most prominent catering companies and previously had a successful career in food media. Crystal is also co-host of LA Food Gang on social media-app Clubhouse, which she and Andy Wang used as a platform to tell the stories of chefs and restaurant owners around the city. Crystal Coser [https://www.instagram.com/crystalcoser/] is President of Bites & Bashes [https://bitesandbashes.com/], a Los Angeles catering and events company with clients that have included President Clinton, Apple, Nike, Harry Winston, Facebook, Uber, Beats by Dre, Porsche and countless celebrities. Crystal and her mother/business partner, chef Julie Coser, also run the Bites & Bashes Cafe in LA's South Bay. Crystal was previously the associate editor of Eater LA. She worked at Hollywood experiential marketing firm NVE producing celebrity and corporate events before becoming the Director of Brand Strategy and Creative Director at age 25. Chinese Food Fight Club [https://www.chinesefoodfightclub.com] is a multimedia platform and consultancy inspired by a dining club created by Andy Wang and Danica Lo at Legend in New York City in 2011. Our mission is to connect the Chinese-American community with other Asian communities while amplifying the stories of Asian and Asian-American creators, chefs, artists, activists, policy-makers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. You can find us elsewhere on the internet at Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chinesefoodfightclub] and you can watch these episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvTDnZS7l5CB6kUk60SBGw]. Stuff we mention in this video: • Beats by Dre at Coachella [https://bitesandbashes.com/beats-by-dre-apple-coachella] • Seth MacFarlane's holiday party [https://bitesandbashes.com/seth-macfarlane-holiday-party-2018] • LA Food Gang and Pop Off LA [https://www.lafoodgang.com] • Napkin Killa [https://www.napkinkilla.com/] • Angler San Francisco [https://www.anglerrestaurants.com/san-francisco] • Joshua Skenes [https://www.joshuaskenes.com/] • Olive-fed wagyu [https://olivefedbeef.jp/] • El Farolito [https://elfarolitosf.com/] • Emeril Lagasse [https://www.emerils.com/] • Zahav [http://www.zahavrestaurant.com/] • Animal [https://www.animalrestaurant.com/] • Let's Eat Together Clubhouse fundraiser [https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/food-industry-professionals-raise-50000-clubhouse-stop-asian-76250304] • Smorgasburg LA [https://la.smorgasburg.com/] • Saucy Chick Rotisserie [https://www.saucychickrotisserie.com/] • Spoon by H [https://la.eater.com/2021/2/25/22301276/spoon-by-h-new-beginning-support-saved-gofundme-closing-scam-fraud-news] • Anajak Thai [https://www.anajakthai.com/] • Crafted Kitchen [https://www.craftedkitchenla.com/] • Roy Choi's Kogi [https://kogibbq.com/] • David Chang's Majordomo [https://www.majordomo.la/] • Off Their Plate [https://www.offtheirplate.org/] • Petite Peso [https://www.petitepeso.com/] • Burmese Please! [https://www.instagram.com/burmese_please/?hl=en] • Eater LA [https://la.eater.com/authors/crystal-coser] • Luv2Eat Thai [http://www.luv2eatthai.com] • Charles Olalia and RiceBar [https://la.eater.com/search?q=charles+olalia] • Myung Dong Kyoja [http://mdknoodles.com/] • El Flamin Taco [https://www.instagram.com/elflamintaco/?hl=en] • The Mozzaplex [https://la.osteriamozza.com/]