Chinese Food Festival: August 27 & 28

Explore one of the world’s great cuisines at L.A.’s biggest celebration

of Chinese food and culture

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. ======= SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

in L.A. Chinatown’s historic Central Plaza, 943 – 951 North Broadway, Los Angeles 90012

· Sample tasty dishes from Chinatown restaurants, from the famous to the unsung

· Watch cooking demonstrations by Chow Nam, the Empress Pavilion dim sum chef; Frank Wong of Malan Noodles, demonstrating the traditional art of pulling noodles; Linda Ma on Chinese vegetarian cooking; Lupe Liang of Hop Woo Restaurant demonstrating the traditional art of vegetable carving, and chef F. Chan of Hop Woo cooking lobster and French-style beef; and Clifford Wright, author of The Mediterranean Feast, in his world debut as a Sichuan-style chef

· The Chinatown Chicken Challenge – eight student chefs from the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, in a contest to demonstrate what each can do with a fresh chicken from a Chinatown poultry shop

· The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program comes to L.A. Chinatown!

· Taiwan’s spectacular Hsiao Hsi Yuan Puppet Theatre, in their first visit to L.A., performs three times at the Chinese Food Festival (Sat., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sun., 11:30 a.m. only) – plus teapot-juggling, tai chi, martial arts, plate-spinning, bowl-kicking, contortionists, and more

· Meet faculty and interns from the Yo San University School of Traditional Chinese Medicine who will offer free acupuncture demonstrations, tongue reading, and pulse analysis

· “Chinatown Fear Factor (for Kids)” -- a contest challenging kids to taste exotic Chinese dishes such as 1000-year-old eggs, jellyfish, chicken feet, etc.

· Kids learn how to make a Chinese lantern and get their faces painted as Chinese opera characters

· Watch a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and sample tea from the Ten Ren Tea Company

· Taste “Chinese ice cream” (lychee, green tea, taro, ginger, mango, etc.) from Fosselman’s

· Continuous showings of “Eat Drink Man Woman” and “The Wedding Banquet” (movies starring Chinese food) in an air-conditioned room.

TICKET PRICES AND ACCESS: $10 general adult admission (including two food tickets). Discounts: $8 for seniors (60+), $6 for youths between 5 – 12, free admission for kids under age 5, and $8 for persons who use Metro or other public transit to travel to the festival. (Only one discount per visitor, please.) Central Plaza is 1-1/2 blocks away from the Chinatown Metro Gold Line station. Valet parking at the festival site also will be available.

HEAR EVAN KLEIMAN AUDIO INTERVIEW ON “CHINATOWN’S HIDDEN GEMS”: visit KCRW website at http://www.kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=gf&tmplt_type=Program; click on Aug.13 audio clip of “Good Food”; forward to 21:59 minutes into the program.

FOR INFORMATION AND TICKETS: Visit www.chinesefoodfestivalla.com or call 213-680-0243.

Presented by the Chinatown Business Improvement District

[“Have you eaten yet?”]