March Town Hall: Culinary Arts
6:30 – 8:30PM
Join us for a Town Hall focused on food, a cultural connector across AAPI communities, and one of our most popular Town Hall topics to date. Folks in the culinary arts are invited to share their projects, resources, and opportunities with the AAPI creative community, as well as make new connections.
Featured presenters include Lisa Cheng Smith, founder of Yun Hai, an importer and distributor of artisanal Taiwanese foods and products, who will speak about bringing food from the diaspora to NYC. We’ll also hear from Rala Ziadeh and Yumna Madi, the team behind Lammeh, a Syrian catering and cultural events company that organizes food experiences centered on Arab cultures and storytelling.
Additionally, the evening will feature a line-up of brief pitches from the community. After the presentations, we’ll host a potluck meal, so please bring something to share; homemade or store bought items are welcome. There will also be food provided by Yun Hai Shop, and others (to be announced).
This event is FREE and open to the public. RSVP is required to attend and/or pitch, but you do not have to pitch to attend.
For pitching guidelines and other information about A4 Town Halls, please visit our FAQ. If you have additional questions, please email programs@aaartsalliance.org.
Accessibility: MOFAD strives to accommodate visitors of all abilities in a welcoming environment. The museum’s installation space at 55 Water Street is on the second floor, which is accessible via elevator. Restroom facilities are wheelchair accessible. More about MOFAD’s accessibility here.
If you need CART Transcription, ASL interpretation, large print, or any other accommodations for this event, please email programs@aaartsalliance.org at least one week before this event.
About Lisa Cheng Smith
Lisa Cheng Smith is the founder of Yun Hai, a New York City-based importer and distributor of artisanal Taiwanese foods and culinary products. Since its founding in 2018, Yun Hai has stood for Taiwan’s sovereignty by illuminating its traditional and emerging foodways.
About Lammeh
Lammeh is a boutique Syrian catering and cultural events company based in New York City, founded by Executive Chef Rala Ziadeh and Executive Producer Yumna Madi. Lammeh—Arabic for “gathering”—celebrates Syrian and Arab culture through food, storytelling, and immersive dining experiences that blur the line between culinary art and cultural expression.
Together, Rala and Yumna craft experiences that go beyond the plate, using food as a medium to honor memory, migration, and collective identity. Their work spans intimate private dinners, large-scale community events, and interdisciplinary collaborations with artists and cultural institutions. Guided by heritage and sustainability, Lammeh’s mission is to bring people together through shared flavor and story—creating spaces where culture is both savored and remembered.
About A4’s Town Hall
Town Hall is A4’s bi-monthly community gathering event that features presentations, pitches, and power networking over a potluck meal. We welcome artists of all disciplines, as well as arts organizations, to share upcoming projects, find collaborators, or discover new opportunities in a lively space.