Featured Guests
Esther Choi
Esther Choi (@choibites) is the chef / owner of mŏkbar and mŏkbar Brooklyn, and soon mŏkbar Midtown, as well as chef / partner of Ms. Yoo, grew up cooking traditional Korean food with her Korean-native grandmother. Inspired by the old-aged techniques of her grandmother's cooking, Chef Esther believes that food is the ultimate expression of a country's culture. From its history and social customs, to its language, geography and arts, Chef Esther seeks to offer guests an understanding and appreciation of Korean food.
Since the 2014 opening of her first venture, mŏkbar in Chelsea Market, Esther has been haild as a "New Rising Chef" by Food Republic and in 2015 was named a "Zagat 30 under 30" NYC Culinary Rockstar. mŏkbar was also acclaimed as the Village Voice's 2014 Reader's Choice "Best New Restaurant" and was awarded "Best Kimchi" in 2015 by EpochTaste. Esther expanded the mŏkbar brand with the February 2017 debut of mŏkbar Brooklyn and will open mŏkbar's third branch Spring 2020.
She also opened Ms. Yoo-- named after her beloved grandmother-- a Korean inspired cocktail bar which opened in February 2017. Zagat declared it one of the city's hottest restaurants, while Thrillist dubbed it the best place to eat during a Lower East Side bar crawl.
Jason Chu
Jason Chu (@jasonchumusic) is a rising Chinese American rapper and activist. His music as appeared in Warrior (HBO / Cinemax), and Wu-Assassins (Netflix). Jason has opened for Snoop Dogg and Bernie Sanders, performed at the Obama White House and the Getty Center, and been presented at Flushing Town Hall and the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. His lyrics and videos have been featured in the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles.
An Asian American cultural expert, Jason has lectured and spoken on arts, media representation, Asian-Black polyculturalism, and racial history at UPenn, ArtCenter College of Design, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Stanford, NYU, Yale, and beyond. His work has been covered by the BBC, NBC Asian America, South China Morning Post, NPR Sacramento, and other outlets. He holds a BA (with distinction) in Philosophy from Yale College and was a contributing writer to the St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.
Ruby Ibarra
Ruby Ibarra (@rubyibarra) is a rapper and spoken word artist from the Bay Area, CA. She released her debut album, CIRCA91 at the end of 2017 and has since toured across the United States at universities, empowerment conferences, music venues, and spaces as such as the National Mall in DC, the Getty Center, and the De Young Museum. Ruby has been featured on notable publications such as NPR, Huffington Post, South China Morning Post, BuzzFeed, XXL Magazine and was featured in a Grammy's / MasterCard commercial and campaign with R&B singer SZA. Ruby's music is available on all digital platforms and can be heard in several museum exhibits, films, and television features.
Kevin Li
As the Younger Returner and Fooler on the widely celebrated and respected TV show "Penn & Teller Fool Us" and one of the youngest adult members at the world famous "Magic Castle" in Los Angeles, Kevin Li (@kevinlimagic) has already made an impressionable mark on the magic industry. Not only did Kevin fool Penn & Teller on their revered TV show, but he made Teller tear up on his first appearance on the show and managed to fool them a second time on his second appearance. Beyond age old and revered magic institutions, Kevin has one of the largest followings on social media for a magician, going viral time and time again for his tricks that he's able to flawlessly speak to a younger digital audience.
As a Chinese American from Rowland Heights, Kevin has beautifully woven integral pieces of his heritage into his music in the most natural ways that transform his magic into storytelling. His undeniable ability to encapsulate audiences and leave his audiences with a deep love for magic has always set the pace for his young but undeniably decorate career and will do so for many years to come.
Steven Lim
Steven Lim (@stevenkwlim) is a Co-Founder at Watcher Entertainment. Formerly Chemical Engineer @ Procter & Gamble, Executive Producer @ BuzzFeed. Creator and host of BuzzFeed's biggest food show, Worth It (3-time Streamy Award Winner, 1-time Webby Award Winner).
Priska
Priska (@priskamusik) is a Taiwanese-American singer / songwriter from Los Angeles, CA who, despite her small stature, will draw you in with her big voice and intimate lyrics. Though she spent most of her adolescent years being bullied in school, she was able to find solace and comfort in music and found that her strength lay in her ability to express herself through song.
Priska has performed and competed in various international showcases and singing competitions. Judges and fans have been drawn in by her powerful vocals and soulful delivery. A lifelong lover of feeling out songs with her heart, Priska will take you on an emotional journey that involves heartache, loss, and learning to carve your own path.
AJ Rafael
AJ Rafael (@ajrafael) is a Filipino-American singer / songwriter from Riverside, CA. AJ has over 130 million views on his YouTube channel and 900,000+ subscribers. He has traveled all over the world to perform his music in places such as the Phillippines, Canada, Australia, and around the United States. In 2011, AJ released his debut album called "Red Roses" and it debuted on the iTunes chart at #5 for Pop albums. He continues to make and play music, not only on YouTube but in the theatrical world as well-- music directing productions in theaters around Southern California.
Year of the Ox
Rap due Year of the Ox (@officialyox) is among the few that still carry the torch of Golden Era boom-bap. Lyricks and JL, two of the most uncompromising and diligent emcees, sharpened their skills in Virginia and made the move to Los Angeles while continuing their quest of hip-hop domination. Whether in freestyle cyphers, dedicated weekly drops, or on their upcoming debut album, Year of the Ox is unmatched in lyrical ability and overall grit. The duo has covered topics of hateful discrimination, international travel, staples of Asian cuisine, unfathomable tragedy, and the trials and tribulations of the underground. With thousands of loyal supporters, known as the Oxgang, Year of the Ox will be an unrelenting force to be reckoned with for the long haul.
Yut
Yut and The Hot Four (@yutviolinist) is a modern instrumentalist group that cover the greatest hit songs on their instruments. "Real Musicians. Real Music."
Yut and The Hot Four aims to successfully fuse popular music with classical techniques. They recognize music as a language without barriers and hope to spread their message throughout the world. They've opened shows for Cyndi Lauper, Robert De Niro, Kevin Spacey, Emmy-winning violinist Damien Escobar, and others. On top of that they've been featured in the New York Times, Daily News, aol.com, and many more. Yut and The Hot Four is the go-to band of the New York Times and is a very sought out band in NYC. They are a very spirited group and give off a lot of raw energy in their performances.
