As part of the Spring 2025 Reframing Global Asias Conversation Series, UMBC Global Asias Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Mika Thornburg will facilitate a conversation based on guest speaker Dr. Mark Padoongpatt’s book,
Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America, which examines the rise of Thai food and the way it shaped the racial and ethnic contours of Thai American identity and community. Steve Chu ‘12 of James Beard Semifinalist restaurant,
Ekiben, will build on the book's themes by drawing from his own experiences growing up in the restaurant industry in the Baltimore area and his journey and philosophy to now running the exceedingly popular Asian fusion Ekiben restaurants.
Dr. Mark Padoongpatt
Mark Padoongpatt is Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He researches and writes on Asian American histories in the twentieth-century United States, with a focus on empire, race, migration, and urban and suburban culture. His first book, Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), explores how and why Thai food shaped Thai American community and identity since World War II. He’s currently working on a book project on the history of race, space, and placemaking in Asian America. He is also the recipient (PI) of a three-year, $800k Mellon Foundation grant to support the “Neon Pacific Initiative,” which aims to expand, enhance, and elevate the placemaking and public-facing scholarship activities happening in UNLV’s Asian and Asian American Studies Program. He’s also shared his work on podcasts and television shows, including an Emmy-winning food series The Migrant Kitchen and the Hulu series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.
Steve Chu
As co-owner and executive chef of Baltimore's acclaimed Ekiben restaurants (A popular destination for food enthusiasts that has earned cult status), Steve has earned a reputation as one of the most creative and community-driven chefs in the culinary world. A James Beard Award semi-finalist, Steve is known for his inventive take on Asian fusion cuisine, combining high quality cooking videos and engaging chef techniques. He's been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, The New York Times, Food Network, ABC, and numerous other TV programs. He also entertains audiences on his rapidly growing social channels @steviechu
Instagram: @StevieChu
TikTok: @StevieChuu
Food will be provided by Ekiben!
Please RSVP to help us plan: bit.ly/GAConversation
This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
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