COVID19

Woon’s Mother-Son Team on Facing Cancer, COVID-19, and Asian Hate

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 year ago

Julie Chen Fong and Keegan Fong are the restaurateurs behind Woon in Los Angeles. Initially it started out as a family-oriented restaurant, an outlet for Chen Fong’s culinary dream. But now with the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence, Woon has grown to become a more community-focused restaurant, raising funds for AAPI-focused organizations and inviting others in through their favorite Chinese dishes. Here the two look back on the challenges and joys of the last two years and how Woon has adapted along the way.

Keegan: Woon is a reflection of my life, but mostly it’s a reflection of my

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Retrenched because of Covid-19, ex-hotel workers in Penang provide delicious packed meals at W. Kitchen

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 year ago
W. Kitchen staff prepares lunch boxes for delivery and takeaways. — Picture by Steven Ooi KE

W. Kitchen staff prepares lunch boxes for delivery and takeaways. — Picture by Steven Ooi KE

GEORGE TOWN, March 11 — When The Northam All Suite Hotel closed its doors last June for a massive two-year renovation, most of its employees were laid off.

Wang Chen Yee, 54, who was the general manager, decided to start a small food business and roped in some of the former hotel employees.

“We were retrenched so I was thinking of what to do next and I wanted to do something to help those who are talented but with nowhere to go,” he said.

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Chez Panisse temporarily closes following ‘potential exposure’ to COVID-19

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 year ago

Alice Waters’s storied Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, has temporarily closed following a possible COVID-19 exposure, the restaurant announced.

The restaurant stated via social media that it would be closed from Feb. 24-27 and reopen Feb. 28, but did not offer a reason behind the weeklong closure. In a newsletter emailed to subscribers, however, the restaurant expanded on why it is closing, citing a “potential exposure” on Feb. 18. The news of this week’s temporary closure was first reported Tuesday by Berkeleyside.

The newsletter reads, in part:

Last week was an exciting turning point in the pandemic when food service

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Ministry of Health Thanks CP Group and CP Foods for COVID-19 Relief Efforts

By Elizabeth W. Jernigan 1 year ago

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed thanks to Charoen Pokphand Group and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods) for the covid-19 relief efforts to help Thailand tackle the new wave of coronavirus outbreak during the hand-over ceremony of food supplies and masks.

The company has donated 83,200 packs of ready-to-eat meals and 30,000 pieces of surgical masks as a part of “CPF Food from the Heart against COVID-19” project.

“CP Foods is the kitchen of the world. The kitchen that creates jobs and helps generate significant income for Thailand. In the midst of a crisis,

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