The Accidental Voice for Chinatowns: Grace Young
Hear from the award winning advocate, cookbook author, and culinary historian about her work to save these important neighborhoods.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Written by Priya Chhaya
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is working to support the preservation of America's Chinatowns. Sign our petition today to commit to the cultural preservation of America’s Chinatowns for future generations.
Grace Young is a one woman advocate for preserving Chinatown
Dubbed the “accidental voice for Chinatowns” by Grub Street, Young has, since 2020, been raising awareness of the plight of Chinatowns, first in NYC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now across the country. Hear her story, and learn why these neighborhoods should be preserved.
Grace Young Portrait Image by Zabrina DengNational Trust for Historic Preservation
Introducing Grace Young
Hi, I’m Grace Young and I am known for my Chinese cookbooks. The New York Times calls me the Stir-Fry Guru, but I self-identify as a Wok Therapist. The title, though, I am the proudest of is being dubbed by Grub Street as the accidental voice of Chinatown.
Young's career has taken her from test kitchens and culinary school to cookbook publishing in New York City. But her true inspiration came from the time she spent cooking Cantonese food with her parents—an experience which directly influenced her advocacy work for Chinatowns.
Young, who calls herself a "Wok Therapist," has spent a lifetime preserving the culinary traditions of Cantonese wok cooking.
Becoming an Advocate
In January and February of 2020 Young watched, horrified, as Chinatowns began to empty out. The ramifications of the prejudice and xenophobia surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic caused businesses and restaurants to lose a significant amount of customers and money.
In March of 2020 , Young decided to do something about it. She shared that experience with Di Gao—the senior director of research and development & lead of the America's Chinatown initiative at the National Trust for Historic Preservation—during a keynote conversation at PastForward Online.
Coronavirus: Chinatown Stories can be watched on the Poster House website, but you can watch the first of the series next.
“I will always remember the looks on the faces of the dishwashers, the cooks, and the waiters. Nobody knew what was about to happen, but all of us knew we were in trouble. The faces of all those workers still haunt me today. Doing those videos on Sunday, March 15, 2020, right before Chinatown shut down, on one of Chinatown’s darkest days, profoundly affected me and inspired all the work that I ended up doing [afterwards].” Grace Young, PastForward Online 2021
As part of her advocacy work on Instagram, Young would take pictures of Chinatown business owners and encourage shoppers to visit their stores in support. On the left are the ladies who own Ting's Gift Shop, one of the oldest souvenir shops in Chinatown, in the center are the owners of KK Discount, the right most image announces a store closure in June 2020
Saving, Sustaining, and Supporting Chinatowns
Young described what would be lost when small businesses in Chinatown disappear on PBS Newshour.
How You Can Help Support Chinatowns
An example of one of the social media posts that Grace Young would share as her work to protect Chinatowns expanded to drawing attention to a range of Asian communities in the face of Anti-Asian hate. The #LoveAAPI campaign was in partnership with the James Beard Foundation and Poster House.
Grace Young: Chinatown in the Snow (2022-01-29) by Grace YoungNational Trust for Historic Preservation
A call to action
"We must all support America’s Chinatowns today or they won’t exist for others to enjoy tomorrow."
"... So please go to your local Chinatown, eat in the restaurants, shop in the market stores and bakeries and remind your friends and family to do the same. If you don’t have a local Chinatown support your local AAPI business. Thank you."
“Chinese food in America is an important part of the American culinary landscape. I have always thought about the fact that I am preserving the traditions of Chinese culture but in fact, I realize that I am preserving a piece of American history when I fight to save Chinatowns. Chinese mom and pop businesses in Chinatown...or a vast array of Asian cuisines that you will find are in Chinatowns, all of them are a part of the American story.”
- Grace Young, PastForward Online 2021
Grace Young is the recipient of the Julia Child Award from the The Julia Child Foundation presented in association with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation. For more on Grace Young and her cookbooks—Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, The Breath of the Wok, and The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen—visit graceyoung.com.
Learn more about the National Trust for Historic Preservation's America's Chinatowns initiative.
About the author: Priya Chhaya is the associate director of content at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
For more on Grace Young and her work to preserve Chinatowns
Grace Young chosen as one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year
Welcome to Chinatown’s 2022 Chinatown Champion Grace Young
Grace Young is on a Mission to Save Still-Struggling Chinatowns
Al Roker Explores America's Changing Chinatowns On "Family Style"
Chinatowns across the U.S. are Struggling to Recover from the Pandemic
