MAKfam Celebrates the Year of the Dragon with Lunar New Year Feast on Feb. 21 and 22
The two-night dinner service will showcase Chef Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen’s American Born Chinese (ABC) journey; A portion of proceeds will benefit Asian Girls Ignite and Guiding Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Association
DENVER (Feb. 5, 2024)— MAKfam, a Chinese restaurant harnessing tradition-inspired recipes through a modern perspective, is hosting a two-night Lunar New Year dinner on Feb. 21 and 22 that features Chef Kenneth Wan, a 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalist for Emerging Chef, and Doris Yuen’s American Born Chinese (ABC) cultural journey, from Hong Kong and East Coast influences to their family-inspired dishes enhanced with Monosodium glutamate (MSG). A portion of proceeds will benefit Asian Girls Ignite and Guiding Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Association.
Reservations, which launch today at 10 a.m. MT, must be made for the two-day dinner service. The Lunar New Year menu will showcase dishes with MAKfam’s unique twist, such as Tofu Crema Scallion Pancake bites inspired by Jian Bing (Chinese crepe), a popular street food consumed for breakfast in China and Taiwan.
“In its most traditional form, Scallion Pancake Roll, or Jian Bing, is filled with egg, scallions, cilantro and savory sauces. However, we have a strong vegan and vegetarian following at MAKfam and scallion pancakes are one of those dishes that everyone can enjoy,” says MAKfam Co-Owner and Chef Kenneth Wan. “So Doris and I started brainstorming about what it would look like to make a version using fresh tofu.”
On Feb. 21 and 22 only, Guests must make reservations for the sit-down dinner service. MAKfam’s Lunar New Year specialty items are noted below. Everything on the Lunar New Year menu, which includes specialty cocktails and a special beer made in collaboration with Novel Strand Brewing, are enhanced with MSG.
All dishes below come as is. No substitutions, please.
Small Bites
Chili Wontons (Chicken and Shrimp)
Scallion Pancake Roll with Tofu Avo Cream - Vegan
Pickled Bitter Melon and Cucumber Salad - Vegan
Stir-Fry Morning Glory (Water Spinach) with option to be stir-fried with Shrimp Paste or Fu Yu (fermented tofu)
Mama Wan’s XO Turnip Cake
Sa Cha Fried Chicken Gizzards
Steamed Scallops on the shell with glass noodles*
Big Bites
Sizzling Tofu and Mushroom Claypot - Vegan
Longevity Noodles
Whole steam fish which symbolizes a prosperous good start and end to your year. Includes includes head and tail*
Salt Baked Chicken
Dessert
TBD
*Item available for pre-order only.
A portion of proceeds from the Lunar New Year dinner services will benefit Asian Girls Ignite, a Colorado non-profit whose mission is to build a strong community of Asian American and Pacific Islander girls and women celebrating their individual and collective power through shared stories, and Guiding Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Association, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to bringing joy, empowering youths, and spreading cultural awareness and celebration through the arts and sports of Dragon and Lion Dancing.
“We have always been inspired by Canto- and Chinese dishes but growing up in America, we’ve also incorporated some of our own unique takes on certain dishes. This Lunar New Year dinner is a reflection of our evolution throughout the years,” says MAKfam Co-Owner Doris Yuen. “Oh and in case anyone is wondering, yes, MSG is included in all the dishes and drinks!”
Guests must make reservations for MAKfam’s Lunar New Year feast on Feb. 21 and 22. Lunch service will be closed for the two-day celebration, walk-ins will not be accommodated.
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About MAKfam
MAKfam represents the essence of America’s new Asian culinary movement by reimagining traditional family-inspired Chinese recipes through a modern perspective. Husband and wife team, Chef Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen, first got their start through a series of street market-style pop-ups in Jersey City, NJ, and Queens, NYC before opening in Denver’s Avanti Food and Beverage in 2019 as Meta Asian Kitchen. Now MAKfam aims to redefine the limitations of Asian fare with contemporary dishes like their málà mozzarella sticks and Spicy garlic butter rice cakes, while also paying homage to their traditional roots with classics like chicken congee, wonton soups, and beef stir-fry noodles with an upcoming brick and mortar under the rebranded MAKfam moniker at 39 W 1st Ave, Denver, CO. Visit their website at www.makfam.co and on Instagram at @makfamdenver and @metaasiankitchen.