Directions and Parking
The NTC Park is located at Cushing Rd at Roosevelt Rd, San Diego, CA 92106.
From the North:
From Interstate 5, take Rosecrans South. Enter NTC at Roosevelt and Rosecrans. Continue on Roosevelt Road and drive straight to Cushing Road.
From the South:
From Interstate 5, take the Pacific Highway exit. Stay to the left and take the Barnett Avenue exit. Continue straight onto Lytton. Take a left on Rosecrans Street. Continue on Rosecrans to Roosevelt. Enter the NTC by taking a left on Roosevelt and drive straight to Cushing.
From the East:
From Interstate 8, take the Rosecrans exit. Continue on Rosecrans to Roosevelt. Enter the NTC by taking a left on Roosevelt and drive straight to Cushing Road.
From Downtown or the Airport:
Take Harbor Drive past airport to Laning Road. Turn right on Laning Road and then turn right on Cushing Road, the festival will be on your right.
Bus & Trolley Access:
Take the MTS Bus or Trolley to the Old Town Trolley Station. At the station, board the 28 bus and exit at the Roosevelt & Rosecrans stop.
Programming
Cooking Demos
ACF kicks off with an opening ceremony at 10:00am followed by 8 hours of stage performances till 6:00pm. Festival highlights include:
- Cultural booths representing the diversity of San Diego's Asian and Pacific Islander communities
- A martial arts demonstration stage
- Live cooking shows by local pan Asian chefs
- Craft workshops for kids
Cooking Demonstrations
11:00 - 12:00 Johnny Tran - Vietnamese and French Fusion
12:30 - 1:30 Cathlyn Choi - Korean
2:00 - 3:00 Krong Na Spngkhla - Thai
3:30 - 4:30 Todd Ichinaga - Molecular Gastronomy
Cathlyn's Korean Kitchen
A Korean by nationality, Cathlyn Choi was born in Saigon, Vietnam on August 5, 1968. In 1974, her family moved to Brunei where she lived and grew up for 12 years. Known as the Korean Food Ambassador, Cathlyn performs occasional culinary demonstrations at food and cultural events as well as produces a weekly cooking show called Cathlyn's Korean Kitchen featuring traditional Korean food and culture, for tvK24, broadcasted on major cable networks such as Time Warner Cable, Cox, Comcast and many others. Season 3 of Cathlyn's Korean Food Challenge features restaurants and executive chefs throughout California. In addition to producing cooking shows, her husband Eric inspired Cathlyn to pursue her career in music, so as of July 2006, she started composing her own music in 2006, focusing on World, pop and dance music for Film/TV and Commercial. All of the music played in the background of Cathlyn's shows are of her original composition. Learn more about Cathlyn at www.cathlynskitchen.tv
Chef Todd Ichinga
For as long as he can remember, owning his own restaurant has been Chef Todd Ichinaga’s dream. Following his heart, he left his pharmaceutical career behind to study hospitality and restaurant management at the California School of Culinary Arts, where he quickly fell in love with the intricate art of food preparation. Immediately after graduating among the top of his class, he accepted a position with the world-famous, five-star/five-diamond Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Chef Todd worked to perfect his craft at the Peninsula, preparing acclaimed dishes for celebrities, high-powered businessmen and other members of the Los Angeles elite. While many would consider preparing dishes for musicians, celebrities, and royalty to be the high point in their career, Chef Todd continued to work toward his dream of opening his own restaurant. He began experimenting with combinations of flavors inspired by cultures around the world, and over time, created the cuisine that would come to be known as Tabe.
Johnny Tran
Johnny Tran's love for cooking dates back to his younger days when his family created Vietnamese dishes with French influences. Trying to cultivate this passion, he graduated from the Art Institute of San Diego under Culinary Arts in 2008. His work experience includes being a chef at the Hilton Harbor Island for four years. He is currently going on his third year as a Sous Chef. Johnny is also interning under David Hagathorn at the restaurant, "Nozomi," learning the skills needed to create sushi. While Johnny favors French fusion foods, he does not like to limit himself to a specialty. He wants to be known as a well-rounded chef that takes inspiration from different cultures and techniques.
Crafts and Activities
11:00-12:00 af3irm/GABNET
12:00-1:00 House of Philippines
1:00-2:00 ACE Hardware
2:00-3:00 Families with Children from China
3:00-4:00 UCSD Student Promoted Access Center for Education
4:00-5:00 Lowe's Build and Grow
AF3IRM
AF3IRM is a new anti-imperialist, transnational feminist women’s organization, evolving from the organization formerly known as GABNet, and 20 years of women’s organizing, activism, and struggle. During the festival, AF3IRM will be holding a children's self-defense workshop. Workshop will be from 11am - 12pm, early sign-up is encouraged and should be addressed to Olive Panes at JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING . Questions can also be directed at that email.
Learn more about AF3IRM at their website www.AF3IRM.org
Thai American Association of San Diego
Visit their Facebook Fan Page at:
www.facebook.com/pages/Thai-American-Association-of-San-Diego/163857283662417
Cultural
Culture, as defined by www.dictionary.com, is the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. However, culture is comprised of many aspects, such as food, music, art, language, religion, and history. During your time at the Second Annual Asian Cultural Festival of San Diego, the committee members hope that you will learn something new about the various Asian cultures presented.
Vietnam
Vietnam is a hardy nation, having endured colonialism, communism, and many wars. Its people are protective of their independence and are coming to terms with capitalism.
Vietnam yields bountiful harvests and it is not uncommon to see farmers in conical hats tending their fields and children riding buffalos along country paths.
Traditional Vietnamese cuisine values the freshness of ingredients, utilizing herbs such as lemongrass, mint and Thai Basil. Fish sauce is also a common ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine.
VAYA
The Vietnamese American Youth Alliance, was founded in 2004 as a means for Vietnamese American youth to organize socially and culturally within the local communities. At VAYA, we work to promote youth leadership, cultural awareness, social activism, and community development. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.
Thailand
Thailand is in a class of its own, giving off a type of splendor that earns its reputation as a golden land. The warm hospitality is incomparable and its beaches are amazing, considered hedonistic and mythic among residents.
The traditional Thai greeting, the wai, is a sign of respect and reverence, similar to the Namaste greeting of India and Nepal. Wai is generally offered first by the younger of the two people meeting. With hands pressed together, fingertips pointing upwards as the head is bowed to touch their face to the hands, this usually coincides with the spoken word “Sawasdee khrap” for male speakers, and “Sawasdee ka” for females. The elder then responds in the same way.
The Thai-American Association of San Diego (TAASD)
The Thai-American Association of San Diego (TAASD) is a voluntary assistance organization with the primary goal of providing relief and assistance to the Thai-American community in the greater San Diego area. TAASD is committed to promoting and maintaining goodwill between Thailand and America on the local and national level via the promotion of Thai cultural heritage. TAASD is also involved with local Asian-American non-profit organizations in planning and executing events to benefit victims of disaster throughout Asia.
Philippines
Considered one of the great treasures of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is comprised of over 7000 tropical islands, the second largest archipelago in the world. The Philippines reflects its multi-cultural inheritance from being colonized by many world powers. The Filipinos themselves are among the warmest people you will meet.
The Philippine culture combines both Eastern and Western cultures, exhibiting aspects found in other Asian countries and Spanish and American influences. The Philippine iconic dances, tinikling and singkil, feature the use of clashing bamboo poles while there is a prevalent legacy of Spanish names and surnames. English is also commonly spoken.
The House of the Philippines
The House of the Philippines has been part of the International Cottages in Balboa Park since 1961. Since then, it has served as a place to learn about the history, culture, and people of the Philippines. The House of the Philippines is a non-profit organization operated by dedicated volunteers who donate their time and effort to share Philippine culture with others.
Malaysia
With the South China Sea in the middle of Malaysia, it would seem as if Malaysia were two countries, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively). Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society, with original culture stemming from indigenous tribes that lived there. Substantial influence exists from Chinese, Indian, Persian, Arabic, and British culture.
Traditional Malay music is based around percussion instruments, most importantly the gendang (drum). There are at least 14 types of traditional drums. Music is traditionally used for storytelling, celebrating life-cycle events, and occasions such as a harvest.
Network of Myanmar American Association (NetMAA)
Founded in early 2006, NetMAA is a non-partisan, non-political, and non-profit organization. The NetMAA extends its membership and activities to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. Recognizing that culture is a vital social asset, NetMAA works with community and cultural leaders to design programs that build long-term social bonds and increase public participation through our outreach programs.
NetMAA holds various outreach programs throughout the year to benefit the Myanmar-American community. These include several arts and culture events, a film festival, photo exhibitions, benefit music concerts, and U.S. immigration service assistance. www.netmaa.org
Japan
Japan is one of the best meeting places between the traditional world and the modern world. From ancient temples to futuristic cities, mist-shrouded hills to lightning-fast bullet trains, suit-clad businessmen to kimono-clad geisha, Japan is in a class of its own.
Japan is credited as producing the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji by MurasakiShikibu, recounting the life of a son of a Japanese emperor, known to readers as Hikaru Genji, or “Shining Genji.” The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time.
Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego
The Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego is a nonprofit organization which recognizes contributions Japanese Americans have made to the region by preserving and making available artifacts, photographs, personal stories and other information chronicling their history and experiences. JAHSSD curates exhibits, assists educators, students and researchers, offers a speakers bureau, and partners with other community organizations to promote understanding of the Japanese American experience.
Indonesia
Indonesia encompasses more than 17,000 islands, and across the archipelago, it consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Indonesia’s national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” means “Unity in Diversity” or literally, “many, yet one.” It reflects its identity, defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism, and a history of rebelling against colonialism.
Indonesian cuisine varies by region and is based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, or Indian precedents. However, rice is the primary staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices, especially chili, coconut milk, fish and chicken are considered fundamental ingredients.
Indonesian Arts Center (IAC)
Indonesian Arts Center (IAC) is committed to the creation, exposure, development, and education of traditional and contemporary Indonesian artistic forms throughout the archipelago. Our goal is to create a center of cultural collaboration between Indonesia and the United States by facilitating performance and educational programs, as well by the marketing, promotion, and sale of Indonesian arts and crafts. IAC strives to explore and expose many different Indonesian artistic styles, from the lesser known forms to new ones, in order to have a whole approach and more complete understanding of the complexity of Indonesian art. www.indonesianartscenter.org
China
With nearly 4,000 years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. China’s diverse terrain ranges from noisy cities to isolated mountain-top villages. Its people are considered loud, garrulous and quick thinking, but they are definitely animated by a palpable sense of pride.
Through its history, China was the source of many major inventions, including papermaking, the compass, gunpowder, and printing (both woodblock and movable type). The Chinese also invented numerous musical instruments, such as the zheng (zither with movable bridges), qin (bridgeless zither), sheng(free reed mouth organ), and xiao (vertical flute).
Confucius Institute (CI)
The Confucius Institute (CI) at San Diego State University was established in collaboration with the Office of Chinese Language International Council (Hanban). CI is committed to making Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services available to the public, and to promote cultural diversity and harmony. Through academic partnership with Xiamen University, the CI at SDSU aims to strengthen the educational and cultural cooperation between China and the United States. This partnership serves to promote the development of Chinese language education in San Diego County and Los Angeles region, while continuing to foster greater understanding and cultural collaboration on both sides of the Pacific.
Cambodia
Cambodia is a country with a history both inspiring and depressing, but its future is waiting to be shaped. Home of Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality, and the vicious Khmer Rouge, Cambodians wear both a shiny, happy face and a dark, complex one.
The national garment of Cambodia is the sampot. There are many variations for the sampot, each is washed according to social class. Cambodians also wear a checkered scarf called a “Krama,” which distinctly separates them from their Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian neighbors.
Victoria House Corporation
Victoria House Corporation is a 9 yr old nonprofit organization serving communities nationwide. We provide assistant to families and individuals with human and social services. We perform outreach to and advocate for underserved population.
Laos
While Laos is a quickly developing country, much of its tradition is still intact, even after years of war and isolation. Village life is simple and the riverfront lifestyle exists even in Vientaine, the nation’s capital.
Lao is the official and dominant language, however, only about half of the population can speak it. The remaining population speaks various ethnic minority languages. The written language is based on Khmer writing script. Also noticeable in Laos is French, which is studied by many as it is still common in government and commerce. English has also become increasingly studied in recent years.
Lao American Coalition
Lao American Coalition is dedicated to preserving cultural heritage, promoting health awareness, supporting education, developing leadership, and increasing civic involvement in the Laotian community.
Hmong
Hmong people have traditionally lived in isolated mountain villages throughout Southeast Asia. Today, they are a minority ethnic group in several countries, but remain identifiably as Hmong because they have maintained their own language, customs, and ways of life while adopting the ways of the country in which they live. Hmong textile art consists of bright, contrasting colors and bold geometric designs. Different patterns and techniques of production vary from geographical regions and cultural subdivisions in the global Hmong community. Today, embroidery continues to be passed down through generations of Hmong people as important markers of Hmong ethnicity.
Lao Hmong Family Association of San Diego (LHFASD)
The mission of the Lao Hmong Family Association of San Diego (LHFASD) is to preserve Hmong arts and cultural heritage, and at the same time to enhance the quality of life for the Hmong people by promoting higher education and social services.
Asian Americans
Asian American is an emerging group and culture in the U.S. that not only integrates the myriad of Asian cultures and the complexities of American culture, but also embraces both. While it is difficult enough to define what it means to be an Asian person or an American person, to be an Asian American is to consistently define and redefine how “Asian” and how “American” a person is at any given time. Only the individual can decide how “Asian” and how “American” they want to be.
