SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 22 — The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco has tapped a trio of some of the buzziest Asian-American food personalities in the city to revamp its dining offerings and help attract new visitors.
When the new café opens in mid-March, it will host a new dining experience called Sunday at the Museum, helmed by Korean-American chef Deuki Hong who cut his teeth working in the kitchens of Momofuku, Jean Georges and Baekjong.
Along with hosting a local pop-up called Sunday Bird where he serves KFC — Korean Fried Chicken — the media-savvy Hong is becoming a rising star spokesman for Korean-American cuisine, with a series on Viceland and a correspondent gig for Time during the PyeongChang Olympics.
Hong also wrote Koreatown: A Cookbook, which explores K-towns across the US.
Overseeing the café’s beverage program will be Andrew Chau and Bin Chen of Boba Guys, a premium milk bubble tea chain in San Francisco which hosts Sunday Bird’s pop-up dinner.
While Hong’s menu will rotate among the seasons and the museum’s programs and special exhibits, expect to see variations of foods like bahn mi, dosa, soup dumplings, and jianbing (Chinese breakfast crepes) to start.
The drinks menu will feature specialty, premium Chinese teas and handcrafted hot and cold brews.
The Asian Art Museum becomes the latest cultural institution in San Francisco to borrow the star power of Asian-American chefs for a new dining experience.
In 2016, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art tapped Benu chef Corey Lee — a local chef star — to develop a gastronomic program that replicates dishes from of the top restaurants around the world.
“In Situ” brings the cuisine of Michelin-starred chefs from around the world — France, the UK, Italy, Hong Kong, Denmark, Spain and Japan — to San Francisco.
And earlier this year, the newly opened Gucci Garden Museum in Florence enlisted chef Massimo Bottura, of Osteria Francescana fame, to develop its culinary program. The menu serves Italian fare, tweaked with international influences.
The Asian Art Museum is home to 18,000 treasures from Asia, spanning 6,000 years of history. — AFP-Relaxnews
