Denver’s first Asian restaurant week set
Denver’s first Asian restaurant week wants to provide a light for the Asian American community, following a tragic week of mass shootings in California.
The multi- day celebration, Mile High Asian Food Week, will run Feb. 22-26 and give diners access to special discounts, secret menu items and specialty menus at participating restaurants across metro Denver. So far, those restaurants include Meta Asian Kitchen, Pho King Rapidos, Tea Street and Yuan Wonton, owned by 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist Penelope Wong.
Joanne Liu, co-founder and CEO of Colorado nonprofit Asian Girls Ignite, which works with American Asian and Pacific Islander girls in middle school and high school, teamed up with other AAPI food and community members to get the restaurant week up and running.
Her parents owned a restaurant in Boston growing up, and she had always admired their “labor of love,” she said in a statement. “In many Asian cultures, food is our love language. It symbolizes family, and it is our way of expressing care and protection. We have so many AAPI food and beverage chefs and business owners here in Colorado. Mile High Asian Food Week is our chance to recognize and celebrate this growing culture.”
Businesses still interested in participating can register at bit. LY/3XX5EVG at no cost. Restaurant week offerings will be listed on the Mile High Asian Food Week website and promoted on social media.
“Colorado has a very vibrant and active AAPI community. Although we only make up around 4% of the state’s population, we do exist, and Mile High Asian Food Week is just one way to showcase who we are and what we contribute to this state,” Liu said.