April 28, 2014 by Melissa Fox

Join Our Next Irvine Food Tour: A Spectacular Dim Sum Lunch at Capital Seafood!

“The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.” ― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto (2008)

Please join us as we continue our Irvine Food Tour with Commissioner Melissa Fox and UCI Professor Catherine Liu, showcasing and sharing our wonderful cultural diversity in Irvine as expressed in scores of amazing local restaurants and markets featuring cuisines as diverse as Irvine’s population!

Our next food tour stop is on Thursday, May 8, 2014, at 1:30 pm for a spectacular Hong Kong style Dim Sum lunch at Capital Seafood at 2700 Alton Pkwy #127, Irvine, CA 92606, in the Diamond Jamboree Center.

Our expert hosts will be Professor Catherine Liu and Capital Seafood General Manager James Tea, who will curate a diverse, vegetarian friendly, selection of dim sum.

Dim Sum is a style of Cantonese food prepared as bite-sized or individual portions, traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. In restaurants, dim sum dishes are carted around for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables. You are offered an assortment of dishes and pick what you like.

Scholars believe that dim sum is linked to the Chinese teahouses that sprung up to accommodate weary travelers journeying along the famous Silk Road, providing them with tea and conversation while eating an assortment of bite size dishes.

In the west, dim sum came about as a natural result of 19th century Chinese immigrants – many of whom were from the Canton region – settling on the East and West coasts. Some experts believe that the dim sum eaten by Chinese-American immigrants inspired the idea of “brunch” – combining breakfast and lunch into one relaxing midmorning meal.

Dim Sum is the perfect way to try new and varied food.

Capital Seafood offers over 100 types of dim sum, including classics shiu mai (pork dumplings), har gow (shrimp dumplings) and steamed bbq pork buns, as well as dishes such as dried scallop in sticky rice, cheong fun (rice noodle rolls), and crispy fried squid.

For vegetarians (like me), there are a host of deliciously prepared Chinese vegetables (such as Chinese broccoli, pea sprouts, bok choy) and vegetable dumplings.

Oh – and leave room for delicious deserts like egg pudding, egg tarts, and crispy bread with almond cream filling!

As always, there’s going to be great food and great conversation!

What: Dim Sum Lunch on the Irvine Food Tour with Commissioner Melissa Fox and Professor Catherine Liu. Hosted by Capital Seafood General Manager James Tea.
When: Thursday, May 8, 2014, at 1:30 PM
Where: Capital Seafood at 2700 Alton Pkwy #127, Irvine, CA 92606, in the Diamond Jamboree Center.
Price: Prix Fixe $25.00 (before tip).

If you have any questions, please contact me at 949-683-8855 or melissa@melissafoxlaw.com.

See you there!

Upcoming Food Tour Destinations:

Diamond Jamboree Tour – TBA

Previous Irvine Food Tour Destinations:

Da Lu’au Hawaiian Grill, 14151 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92620.

99 Ranch Market, 15333 Culver Dr., Irvine, CA 92604

Gourmet Grill Masters Restaurant, 14141 Jeffrey Road, Irvine, CA 92620

Mokkoki Shabu Restaurant, 14041 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine, CA 92620

Four Sea Restaurant, 15435 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine 92618 (Jeffrey and Irvine Center Drive)

Please note: The Irvine Food Tour is the creation of Melissa Fox and Dr. Catherine Liu, based on their love of Irvine’s many cultures and cuisines and their desire to share Irvine’s many wonderful cultures and cuisines with you, and is not an official activity or event of the City of Irvine.

February 27, 2014 by Melissa Fox

Join Us on Our Next Irvine Food Tour Destination: 99 Ranch Market and Bread Farm Bakery!

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903)

Please join me as we continue our Irvine Food Tour with Commissioner Melissa Fox and UCI Professor Catherine Liu, showcasing and sharing our wonderful cultural diversity in Irvine as expressed in scores of amazing restaurants and markets featuring cuisines as diverse as Irvine’s population.

Our next food tour stop is on Friday, March 14, 2014, at 4:30 pm for a guided store tour (with samples) and then dinner at Irvine’s 99 Ranch Market on 15333 Culver Drive.

Founded by Taiwanese American immigrant Roger H. Chen in Orange County’s Little Saigon neighborhood in 1984, 99 Ranch Market has grown to become the largest Asian American supermarket in the United States, with over 35 store locations in California, Nevada, Texas and Washington State.

The 99 Ranch Market on Culver Drive in Irvine also features a newly opened Bread Farm Bakery and Café, which offers customers traditional Taiwanese and European bread and pastries, prepared fresh every day. Bread Farm Bakery is the first endeavor for Executive Chef Haruka Lin, who headed 99 Ranch’s pastry department for the past several years. Chef Lin was trained in Taiwan and served as a pastry chef at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei.

Irvine Food Tour co-host Catherine Liu is Professor of Film & Media Studies and Director of the UCI Humanities Collective. Professor Liu studied at Yale University and received her Ph.D. in French from the Graduate Center, CUNY. She also speaks Mandarin Chinese, German, Italian, and Spanish.

As always, there’s going to be great food and great conversation!

What: “Irvine Food Tour with Commissioner Melissa Fox and Professor Catherine Liu.”
When: Friday, March 14, 2014, at 4:30 PM
Where: 15333 Culver Dr., Irvine, CA 92604

If you have any questions, please contact me at 949-683-8855 or melissa@melissafoxlaw.com.

Previous Irvine Food Tour Destinations:

Gourmet Grill Masters Restaurant, 14141 Jeffrey Road, Irvine, CA 92620
Mokkoki Shabu Restaurant, 14041 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine, CA 92620
Four Sea Restaurant, 15435 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine 92618 (Jeffrey and Irvine Center Drive)

UPDATE:

Teresa Leung

Our host will be 99 Ranch Marketing Associate Teresa Leung. Teresa is a specialist in exposing Asian cuisines and Asian culture to the larger SoCal community.

The store tour will start at 4:30 pm and last approximately 30-40 minutes. It is suggested that we bring a jacket, since it gets cold in the store.

Teresa and 99 Ranch staff will guide us around each department of the store with food sampling along the way: Produce, Drinks, Meat, Seafood, Dairy, Freezer, Bread Farm, Asian Kitchen and Deli.

We will conclude the guided tour at the Hot Deli department with samples, around 5:10

We will then take a group photo prior to dinner and may purchase our own meals.

Again, if you have any questions, please contact me at 949-683-8855 or melissa@melissafoxlaw.com.

Reservations are not necessary, but are requested so we can better estimate the size of our group.

I hope you’ll join us!

Melissa

Please note: The Irvine Food Tour is the creation of Melissa Fox and Dr. Catherine Liu, based on their love of Irvine’s many cultures and cuisines and their desire to share Irvine’s many wonderful cultures and cuisines with you, as well to support local businesses, and is not an official activity or event of the City of Irvine.

January 31, 2014 by Melissa Fox

新年快樂 Happy Year of the Horse!

The Year of the Horse

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which begins on January 31, 2014, is the most important holiday in China, as well as for many people of Chinese origin throughout the world – including the nearly 30,000 people of Chinese heritage living in Irvine.

The Chinese zodiac, the cycle of twelve stations or “signs” along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos, plays an important part in the calendar, and each new year is marked by the characteristics of one of the 12 animals of the zodiac: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

This year is a Year of the Horse.

A Year of the Horse is considered to be fortunate and filled with luck, as well as a time of adventure and an excellent year for travel.

Those born in the Year of the Horse are said to be extremely confident and independent.

The Chinese New Year holiday was traditionally a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting. Today, the holiday remains a time for family, food, and the celebration of traditional Chinese culture.

My friend Albert Wu, a young Irvine-based violinist, violin teacher, and founder of Irvine Young Concert Artists (IYCA), explains his family’s traditions:

“Get ready for Jan. 31 to welcome the Year of the Horse! The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese, in which they celebrate family and a new beginning. The New Year begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar, which is different from the Western calendar. Before the holiday arrives, people will completely clean the house in order to get rid of the old and prepare to welcome the new. After the cleaning comes the decorating, and most of the decorations are red in color because that color signifies good luck. The New Year’s Eve meal is the most important meal of the year where families get together for a dinner reunion. They may choose to eat at home, go to a restaurant (which often has to be booked months in advance), or hire a chef to cook at their house. The Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days, during which families often rotate which relative’s house they will eat at. Fish is normally served at the New Year’s Eve dinner, and dumplings, because fish and dumplings are thought to be good luck and to bring a family prosperity in the New Year. Wait… Who wants to celebrate with me for next 15 days?”

I do!!

Chinese New Year Events in Irvine this Weekend

This weekend I will be celebrating the Chinese New Year at two special events in Irvine.

First, I will be attending a special “Lunar New Year Celebration” at the at the Irvine Metrolink Station, 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618, at 8:00 a.m.

The first 100 people there will receive a free round-trip Metrolink ticket to Los Angeles Union Station (first come, first served) to join Celebrate the Year of the Horse by visiting the 115th Annual Golden Dragon Parade and Festival in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, one of the premier cultural events in southern California. Enjoy a special Lunar New Year program with traditional Lion Dancers. Bring your family to taste the delicious free refreshments provided by Champagne Bakery and 85° Bakery Cafe. For a chance to spin the OCTA prize wheel, bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. After the fun at the Irvine Station, take Metrolink to Los Angeles for the popular Golden Dragon Parade. Train departs from Irvine Station at 9:00 a.m.

I will also be celebrating the Year of the Horse at the “Chinese New Year Exhibition and Performance” at the Irvine Chinese School, located at 9 Truman, Irvine, 92620, on Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 5:30 and 6:30 PM.

This performance has been a tradition for over 35 years. The school lobby will open to the public from 5:30 PM for the exhibition. The performance starts from 6:30 PM.

Here are the details:

What: Lunar New Year Celebration (and chance at a free round-trip to the Golden Dragon Parade in LA’s Chinatown
Where: Irvine Metrolink Station, 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92618
When: Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 8:00 AM
Info: 714-560-6282.

What: Chinese New Year Exhibition and Performance
Where: Irvine Chinese School, 9 Truman, Irvine 92620
When: Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 5:30 PM (Exhibition) and 6:30 PM (Performance)
Info: For tickets, contact Rachel@sccca.us or call 949-554-6868 ex.502

新年快樂

Happy New Year!

November 6, 2013 by Melissa Fox

Irvine Chinese School Hosts Inspiring “Immigrants Building America”

I recently had the honor of presenting a Certificate of Recognition to the Irvine Chinese School and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association on behalf of the City of Irvine on the occasion of the grand opening of the powerful new photographic exhibit “Immigrants Building America,” a traveling exhibit from the American Institute in Taiwan that features stories and photos of how immigrants from Taiwan and China have contributed to the United States and tells the “moving and inspiring stories of people journeying to a new country, struggling to establish themselves, and contributing their intelligence and hard work to create the vibrant America that we know today.”

The exhibit covers the time period from the mid-19^th Century – when consecutive years of drought in China coupled with the discovery of gold in California led thousands of Chinese workers to travel across the oceans to work in the gold mines, and then in the construction of the railroads, in the American West – to the years of discrimination, hardship, and expulsion under the Chinese Exclusion Act from the 1880s to the early 1940s – to the present, when Chinese Americans are celebrated for their accomplishments and contributions across numerous fields, including journalism, sports, politics, medicine, music, film, architecture, and science.

Among the Chinese Americans featured in the exhibit are Samuel C. C. Ting (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1976), Steve Chu (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1997), Roger Yonchien Tsien (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2008), Anna May Wong (first Chinese American movie star and outspoken advocate for Chinese American causes), I. M. Pei (Chinese American architect often called the master of modern architecture), Ang Lee (Academy Award, Best Director, 2005 and 2012), Elaine L. Chao (U.S. Secretary of Labor, 2001-2009), Judy Chu (b. 1953, first Chinese American woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress), Yo Yo Ma (b. 1955, Grammy Award winning cellist), Maya Lin (b. 1959, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.), Michelle Kwan (b. 1980, Olympic and World Champion figure skater), Jason Wu (b. 1982, fashion designer), and Jeremy Lin (b. 1988, outstanding college and NBA basketball star).

Irvine Commissioner Melissa Fox awarding Certificate of Recognition to Irvine Chinese School

I also had the pleasure of discussing the exhibit – and the crucial role that cultural diversity and immigrant communities have played in the success of Irvine – with the principal of the Irvine Chinese School, Yulan Chung, and the president of the Irvine Chinese School’s Board of Directors, Albert Tseng. The Irvine Chinese School is truly an Irvine treasure. Founded in 1976, the mission of the Irvine Chinese School is to promote Chinese language learning, preserve Chinese heritage, enhance the understanding of the values of Chinese culture, and to advocate for Cultural diversity in America. Located in the beautiful new South Coast Chinese Cultural Center in Irvine, the Irvine Chinese School is largest Chinese school in Southern California, with more than a thousand students enrolled in classes ranging from traditional Chinese phonetics, writing, grammar and conversation, to Chinese customs, folklore, painting, calligraphy, performing arts and other aspect of Chinese culture.

Visit “Immigrants Building America” and experience the struggles and triumphs of Chinese immigrants in America and learn about the many contributions of Chinese Americans to building the ongoing and still-unfolding American Dream. “Immigrants Building America” speaks to every immigrant community and every American.

What: “Immigrants Building America” – Traveling exhibit featuring stories and photos of how immigrants from Taiwan and China have contributed to the growth of the United States.
Where: Irvine Chinese School at South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, 9 Truman, Irvine CA
When: November 2 though December 30, 2013
More information: (949) 559-6868

Click here for an NTDTV.com news report (in Chinese) about the exhibit and the opening ceremonies.