MOCA x Po Wing Hong – Spring in the Kitchen: Flavors of Renewal

About the event

In collaboration with Po Wing Hong Food Market 寶榮行, a cornerstone of Manhattan’s Chinatown for more than 45 years, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to a vibrant tasting and conversation celebrating the flavors, ingredients, and traditions of springtime. Centered around seasonal specialties, this program explores how everyday ingredients, from dried fruits like goji berries, jujubes, and longan to herbs such as dried Chinese yam and codonopsis, play a role in nourishing the body and reflecting the rhythms of the season. Join Sophia Tsao, Executive Vice President of Po Wing Hong, for a guided introduction to ingredients commonly found in Chinese home kitchens during the warmer months. Through storytelling, demonstrations, and tastings, you will learn how families select, prepare, and enjoy foods believed to restore balance, boost energy, and support overall well-being as the seasons shift. Bird’s nest will be introduced as one of many traditional ingredients, offering insight into its cultural significance alongside more familiar pantry staples. Whether you are a seasoned cook or simply curious, this program offers a welcoming and accessible entry point into culinary knowledge passed down through generations. Come ready to taste, ask questions, and leave with practical tips for shopping and cooking, along with a deeper appreciation of how seasonal foods connect memory, tradition, and everyday life. About Sophia Tsao Sophia Tsao is the Executive Vice President of Po Wing Hong Food Market Inc., a cornerstone of Manhattan’s Chinatown for more than 45 years. A graduate of Boston University’s School of Management, Sophia never expected to join the family business founded by her parents, Patrick and Nancy Ng. But over time, she came to see that leading Po Wing Hong is not only a professional calling—it is a way to preserve and celebrate Chinese food culture in America. Today, she guides the company’s growth across wholesale, retail, and e-commerce while ensuring Asian American communities continue to have access to high-quality, traditional Chinese ingredients. Beyond her role at Po Wing Hong, Sophia is an active community advocate and serves on the Board of the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, a nationally recognized HRSA Quality Leader. About Po Wing Hong Since 1980, Po Wing Hong Food Market has been fueling kitchens and nourishing communities in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Founded by Patrick and Nancy Ng, we bring the flavors of Hong Kong to New York through a thoughtfully curated mix of Cantonese staples—premium dried seafood, traditional herbs, and soup ingredients rooted in generations of wisdom. We believe health is wealth, and we proudly embrace the Eastern philosophy of food as medicine, where every ingredient plays a role in supporting balance and well-being. We live by three simple values: quality, honesty, and expertise. With decades of hands-on knowledge behind every recommendation, we’re not just selling ingredients—we’re helping keep Chinese culinary traditions alive, one bowl at a time. Our Brooklyn-based wholesale division, Po Wing Trading, delivers daily to restaurants and retailers across New York City and has been sharing our flavors around the world since the early 1990s.