Around the world, preparations are currently underway for the Lunar New Year—whether that’s adding the final splash of sesame oil to a dumpling filling, or stuffing red envelopes with wads of crisp cash. Typically observed in East and Southeast Asia and across the diaspora, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of traditional customs, camaraderie, and—perhaps most importantly—good food.
In North America especially, it’s not uncommon to find folks spending the holiday miles away from their childhood homes, enjoying feasts with their found family. Here, Vogue meets three such makers from across New York’s vibrant food scene—and invites them to share three dishes to ring in the Lunar New Year.
Faye Chen of Double Chicken Please
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, bartender GN Chan has flown the award-laden Double Chicken Please coop to spend his holiday with family in Taiwan while his co-founder and mother hen Faye Chen keeps the nest warm. This, head of PR Tako Chang tells me, is how the friends and business partners operate, taking turns to go home.
Chen and Chang, incidentally, go way, way back. The year was 2014, and Chang had just signed onto a brand marketing role for Bacardi in Shanghai. That afternoon, her boss introduced her to another fellow enterprising young Taiwanese working behind the bar at a brand pop-up. Chang and Chen shared a fateful exchange that could only be described as a little icy. “Hi, nice to meet you. What can I get you?” Chen asked. “Sorry, I don’t drink,” Chang replied.
