|
| CONTENTS A Letter from our NY President A Letter from our National President Starry Bites, Plate by Plate Report Inside Scoops, Volunteer Perspectives Through the Cooking Glass, Feature Volunteer Review Extras |
ABOUT THIS ISSUE As Project by Project revs up its 2008 campaign, we take a last look at our 10th anniversary by reporting on our hugely successful Plate by Plate Tasting Benefit. For this special edition, we have asked our volunteers to share their unique perspectives, to contribute articles about their experience. They take you behind the scenes, reporting on everything from what it's like to work with the impressive Chef Morimoto to braving the printer-malfunction drama at the registration table. For those of you more photo-inclined, we've included plenty for you to look at, along with a link to our photo gallery. We hope you enjoy the read and welcome you to a new year and a fresh campaign. |
||
 |
|||
A Letter from our NY President |
|||
| back to top | |||
|
||||
| A Letter from our National President Dear Friends, As we enter one of the most exciting election years in the history of this country, I am reminded of the motivating factors that lead my parents to bring us to the United States. I moved to NYC from Argentina at a very young age and I still remember the first night we got here and drove through Times Square. It was like that scene from the movie “In America”—bright lights, skyscrapers, billboards, and my wide-eyed stare at the lights and the bustle from the backseat of the van with our entire life’s worth of belonging. I don’t think I blinked the entire ride. Growing up in Argentina, I experienced life under a military dictatorship at a very young age. There was political oppression, censorship, economic turmoil and racism. However, I wasn’t aware that I was disadvantaged. I thought every kid did emergency drills before class; had no hot water at night and had to go to the offices of the main telephone company to make international calls (in where you waited the entire day on a line that stretched out for blocks). I was a pretty happy kid who enjoyed eating my steak every day, kicking around soccer balls with friends, bossing my little brother, and working in my parent’s kiosk for candy. It wasn’t until that first drive through Times Square that I realized the world of opportunities that awaited me. There was a life that was free and full of possibilities and I was just beginning to experience it. I always wondered if people here realized how good they have it. There are people in other parts of the world that don’t have a say in who rules them; that are not allowed to have a choice in how things are run in their very own hometowns; and who are not able to fight the powers that be to break out of oppression, poverty and ignorance. Yet, every time we have an election, America has such a hard time getting people to register to vote, go to the ballots and cast a vote. That never made any sense to me. That kind of apathy is why Project by Project has selected “Asian Americans and Political Empowerment” as the theme this year. As a country, we are in the midst of a journey never-before experienced by any generation prior and we are lucky enough to be the first ever to take part in this changing tide. What we once thought was impossible, is suddenly probable. That adage that we tell kids, “when you grow up, you can be anything you want, even President of the United States”, doesn’t sound like just a saying anymore. And in order to be a part of this feverish election year, you must participate. Voice your opinions, attend rallies, question your representative, donate to campaigns, watch the debates, and most importantly—cast your vote. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent or an all around undecided, join us this year and let’s show that the Asian American voice matters. Best,  Liliana Chen National President |
||||
| back to top | ||||
|
||||
Starry Bites: A Plate by Plate Report |
 Emcee James Sun  Chef Lee Anne Wong  Chef Morimoto and friends  Celebrity Sous Chef Kelly Choi |
|||
| back to top | ||||
 |
|
||||
| Inside Scoops: Volunteer Perspectives |
||||
| 1. Camellia Zheng, Medical Aesthetician Memorable Moment: My team leader was "Jorge." At first I thought, "An Asian guy with a Spanish name?" It was different. He's an accountant or something in finance. He was a registration team leader at the event, and he is so serious. He did have a lot of responsibility, though, so I can understand. There were so many things to take care of--just processing for registration, like getting the credit card, checking names, wrist-banding the guests, etc. I'm sure Jorge enjoyed it, but it was a stressful situation. We volunteers teased him the whole night, making fun of him for being so serious. I felt like he had steam coming out of his ears. Memorable Moment #2: It's great how people are always willing to help out, even if they aren't volunteers. At one time the printer ink ran out, which no one anticipated. Jorge ran to a friend's apartment nearby and tried to print it out via memory card. It didn't work out, so another volunteer and I ran to a store close by with the guest lists--there were only two copies of it and we needed more. So, we ran copies at the furniture store across the street [from the venue]. The store's staff was so nice, they didn't hesitate to let us use their machine. |
 Jorge Chang and volunteers |
|||
| 2. Julie Ho, Jewelry Designer Plate by Plate gig: Assisting PR extraordinaire Liliana: If she was talking to person A, person B, C and D were waiting for her. She said I should be standing near her, but I didn't want to stand too closely as if I were listening in. My other job was to basically call people out, like chase down James Sun. On the stars: James Sun is really friendly and very alert. I had to get him a couple of times, and I didn't even have to open my mouth the second time. He just asked, "Looking for me?" By the way, it was hard to find James Sun; there were a lot of Asian guys there! It really helped, though, that he has spiky hair. All the chefs were very nice. Morimoto is not very expressive, and only talks to you when you ask him a question, but I think he's a kind person. He was wearing a men's kimono. Kelly Choi is friendly, tall and tan. I carried her bag when she went onto the stage. Memorable Moments: As her assistant, I frequently asked Liliana if she wanted anything, and she kept saying "more wine." I must have gone to the bar about 8 to 9 times. She didn't have much of a chance to eat, but after about four to five glasses into the night, she said, "Please bring me that red velvet cake." That's when I grabbed something for myself, too. |
 Liliana Chen |
|||
| 3. Stephen Tang, Technologist/Software Engineer On the event: For me, the Plate By Plate event was special. I never experienced an event that had such a wide, diverse array of foods. How often can you savor the fresh delicacies of sushi and quail eggs, sip fresh squash soup, indulge in chocolate mousse cake, and feast away on stuffed mushrooms--all within lengths of each other? I never would have imagined that I would have the opportunity to chat with celebrities and be pampered with the best gourmet foods by world class chefs. I'm sure many of the people there felt the same way. The Plate by Plate drew people from all walks of life; some were noted dignitaries of the social elite, food connoisseurs, local news reporters. But the majority was there to have fun. And we all shared the same appreciation for fine foods and wines. VIP emcee Sandra Endo put it right in her ceremonial remarks, "This gets better and better every year". by Camellia Zheng, Julie Ho, Stephen Tang (Volunteers) |
 VIP emcee Sandra Endo |
|||
| back to top | ||||
|
||||
| Through the Cooking Glass As a restaurant liaison, they give you only one set of basic instructions: Give the chefs whatever they need. Thinking back to the volunteer email I had received a few days before, I found my post at the bustling Zone 3. All the action seemed to center around this prominent precinct. Adjacent to the VIP area and directly in front of the stage, it had a constant flow of human traffic. Thickets of people remained stationed at the forefront throughout the night, impeding my persevering efforts to aid those chefs that required my services. Executive Chef of restaurant Public, Brad Farmerie, was one of the first to set up in his station, energetically offering the first taste to any of the inquisitive volunteers who introduced themselves. I was tempted to dig in but the unwavering modesty of the other declining volunteers deflated my courage. Luckily, I was able to relish the savories later on, even Chef Farmerie's delightful Marinated White Anchovy on a Quinoa Croquette with Spicy Saffron Aioli. Sadly, I missed his popular Muscovado Pavlora with Pink Peppercorn Fromage Blanc and Sour Cherry Lompote which had beckoned many ravenous guests. As the Chef of Apple restaurant fired up his pan, a long line soon formed at the sound of sizzling meat. His offerings were the most diverse and numerous. The industrious chef served up four different dishes: Apple's Broiled Duck Breast, BBQ Beef, Stuffed Grape Leaves with Beef, and he finished the night with a veggie-topped Shrimp Chip. Although I salivated at the sight of so many dishes in one place, I decided that I could not abandon my post long enough to get on that dastardly line. I was able to salvage a tasty shrimp chip though. Of course, a big crowd already formed around Masaharu Morimoto's table as the Iron Chef made an appearance early on during the event. His Yellowtail "Pastrami" Fishwishes, with Truffle Aioli, were passed all around the room to eager guests and chefs alike. I only managed to sink my teeth into one after the crowd thinned a bit. With Morimoto's table strategically placed next to the Sake purveyors, guests had the perfect accompaniment to the Japanese savory. Rounding out the raw seafood was The French Culinary Institute's Bay Scallops with Marinated Salmon Roe and Salsify-Parmesan Puree. Chef Nils Norén had the most assistants at his station, numbering about four to five, while other restaurants had only one or two. The early ice shortage seemed not to affect them as they declined my offer of extra ice throughout the night. Actually, all that was requested by the L'Ecole chefs were glasses of wine and sake which I was happy to provide. One of the few liquid dishes in the room, Gilt Chef Christopher Lee's Butternut Squash Soup with Canadian Lobster was an instant hit. It was in such high demand, the chefs completely ran out of soup around 8:30pm. The barren table was left with a lonely tray of empty cups as the chefs waited languidly for more supplies to arrive. Replenishments did finally appear but since it was a bit late at 9:30pm, Gilt had a lot of leftovers by the end. Voted favorite dish of the night by Verizon's "Text to Vote," the Spicy Beef and Pomelo Salad of Mai House left many clamoring for more. Chef Sean Scotese presided over his table while his partner, dressed in a festive straw hat and mint green shirt, merrily handed out a plate to all who passed- even to a hapless volunteer such as myself. Though most chefs remained stationary throughout the night, many were able to sample the delicacies of their peers as attentive volunteers were more than happy to deliver them dishes. Indeed, the sight of another's concoction would incite a Pavlovian response. Chef Jose Sanchez of Morimoto became wide-eyed when he saw me delivering the Quail Egg with Truffle Cream dish to Chef Farmerie. "Bring me one of those!" he whispered excitedly. And true to his gastronomic assiduity, he requested that every dish in the room be brought to him- two dishes at intervals of 10 minutes, of course. Amusingly, the only items he requested seconds of were the BBQ Duck Confit Sliders and the Grilled Pork Cheeks. At the end of the event, chefs shook hands with volunteers as they parted ways. Some chefs became friendly enough to pass out their business cards and invite others to be their proper restaurant guests. Chef Sanchez expressed his own gratitude to me: "Thanks for keeping me fed all night!" As we talked about Mexico and the singularity of his position as a Mexican chef in a Japanese restaurant, he generously shook my hand and bade me to email him when I came to Morimoto's. Only at a food and wine benefit can such warm camaraderie be recognized between one gourmand and another. by Nicole Lam (Volunteer) |
 Chefs preparing their dishes  Chef Brad Farmerie  Apple Restaurant  Chef Morimoto  The French Culinary Institute  Mai House, Winner of Verizon's "Text to Vote" for Best Savory Dish |
|||
| back to top | ||||
 |
|
||
| EXTRAS View more photos from PbP-NY's 2007 Plate by Plate Tasting Benefit. Check out our 30 second commercial on YouTube |
||
| back to top | ||
THE TEAM |
ABOUT US Project by Project is a national volunteer organization of social entrepreneurs that serves Asian American non-profits in need by raising public awareness, volunteerism and capital. Every year, each local PbP chapter partners with a different Asian American community-based organization and tailors an 8-month long campaign according to its specific needs. By partnering with a different under-served non-profit each year and providing applied skills such as fundraising, marketing & PR consulting, event planning, strategic consulting, recruiting, and other assistance, Project by Project represents an innovative and uniquely valuable approach to community service. Project by Project is a 100% volunteer driven, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Interested in volunteering? We've made it easy for you. Please fill out our online volunteer application and someone will get back to you shortly. If you're in New York, please click here. If you're in SoCal, please click here. MORE INFORMATION Please visit our website at www.projectbyproject.org |
||
| back to top |
