Back in September 2016 (I know this is super late), I had the opportunity to work with Celebrity Chef Theresa Lin, the Julia Child of Taiwan at a Dumpling cooking demonstration at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA.
You may not recognize her name, but she’s a household name in the Taiwanese food community as she’s written countless cookbooks and partnered with movie director, Ang Lee on a number of his productions. She was his food stylist for the movie Eat Drink Man Woman and the catering director for Life of Pie. Now she travels the world and works with local restaurants in promoting Taiwanese cuisine.
In essence she’s successfully combined my love for food and education and turned it into a wonderful career. She’s a great role model and one who’s adventurous spirit is still alive and strong. Before the workshop she told me that she just came back from Peru and will be back on the road again! Whew! I hope I have that much energy and spunk when I’m her age.
During the workshop patrons learned how to make dumplings, including the skin from scratch. She instructed us on techniques in how to roll out the dough as well as a step-by-step process in making an excellent traditional filling. We made two different types to accommodate food allergies (a vegetarian and a meat), and both were absolutely delicious.
While I do make dumplings from scratch at home, never had I made the dumpling skin from scratch. It definitely has a chewier texture that store bought can’t mimic, but it’s a lot of work and I think I’ll leave that to the professionals 😛
Overall, it was a really educational and delicious night. I learned tremendously and it reinforced my pride for my heritage and the amazing food that my culture brings. Cooking and eating is a wonderful way to share one’s ancestry, and it’s my hope to bring more people together by celebrating our similarities rather than our differences (over a good meal of course!).
What kind of food do you enjoy sharing with family and friends?
XOXO,
Rockstar
I couldn’t really comprehend the idea of not having a plan and knowing my next steps, but I unwillingly trusted and went for the ride of my life – mind you I was TERRIFIED as I have always been a planner, but the next couple of months really showed me things that I could have never expected.
Pink and yellow combinations, statement furs, and one shoulder outfits were evident on the runway; however, rich, warm neutrals (above) are always chic and a perfect way to transition to Fall. After the show fashionistas were guided to various participating stores who were pumpin’ rockin jams and serving various mocktails and light bites. My friend and I were given VIP treatment while browsing through the racks.
She took a photo of me modeling one of G-Star’s super soft leather jacket and evergreen beenie and begin drawing with her felt tip markers free-hand. Looks pretty legit to me!
While the celebration was a intimate one U.S. Congressmen Ed Royce and other local city council members made appearances to show their support. It definitely takes a village to host an event like this and the volunteers do this year after year.
Over 100 food and wine vendors were presented at this event ranging from 118 Degree (vegan food) to ZRY Vodka. There was something for everyone and many of the booths boasted on their field to fork ideology in preparing their masterpieces.
Insider Irene 