Finding My Soul in Chinatown: The Making of an Accidental Activist

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      "details": "Grace Young is a James Beard award winning author dubbed my Grub Street as the “accidental voice for Chinatown.” A three-time Beard winner—including Humanitarian of the Year—she’s also the first Asian American to receive the Julia Child Award for her contributions to the culinary world and advocacy to protect America’s Chinatowns. A Forbes 50 over 50 and USA Today Women of the Year honoree, Grace has been been featured on PBS Newshour, the Today Show, All Things Considered, CBS Mornings, and profiled in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Serious Eats and Cherry Bombe. Named the “Stir-fry Guru” by the New York Times and the “Poet Laureate of the Wok,” by the food historian Betty Fussell, she champions wok cookery and the fact that Chinese food is an essential part of the American culinary landscape. She donated her family’s 1949 wok to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as a symbol of Chinese American heritage and resilience. ",
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  "description": "Grace Young—James Beard Humanitarian of the Year, never planned on becoming an activist. But when the pandemic gutted America’s Chinatowns she went from cookbook author to the unexpected frontline advocate for America’s Chinatowns. In this talk, she unpacks how personal storytelling, chance encounters, and cultural memories fueled her pivot into activism. Her story challenges you to define your own purpose—and inspires you to show up, push boundaries and take action for the communities and causes you care about.",
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