The celebration of metro Denver's vast Asian culinary scene returns this year and the first batch of vendors who will be participating has been released.
Mile High Asian Food Week 2024 will feature three semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards, one of the culinary industry's highest achievements, and more than 50 vendors are expected to participate across the state spanning Longmont, Castle Rock and various cities in between.
Set to run from April 28 to May 4, this will be the second annual week-long celebration and will also help kick off Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage month in May. Participants will get insider perks including discounts, secret menu items and specialty menus.
"While Colorado's AANHPI culinary scene may not be as top of mind as some of our counterparts on the coasts and larger cities, there are standout talents and hidden gems that truly make the state a great place to enjoy diverse cuisine," said MHAFW Founder Joanne Liu. "Our mission at Mile High Asian Food Week is not only to put a spotlight on these AANHPI-owned food and beverage establishments but to celebrate their contributions which have added flavor and culture to the dining scene."
Participating James Beard Award semifinalists include Denver's MAKfam, Sắp Sửa and Yuan Wonton.
Nominated under the Emerging Chef category, Kenneth Wan of Baker's MAKfam has helped build the reputation of the Chinese food-hall concept.
Congress Park's Sắp Sửa is nominated for Best New Restaurant, dishing out non-traditional Vietnamese food along Colfax Avenue.
Chef Penelope Wong's Yuan Wonton will also return for MHAFW. Wong is nominated for Best Chef in the mountain region that spans Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming and the restaurant is fresh off moving into its Park Hill brick-and-mortar at the tail end of 2023 from its food truck.
Vendors interested in participating still have some time to apply, with an application deadline extended through Feb. 16.
Here is the first batch of confirmed 2024 MHAFW Vendors:
9Thai Restaurant
ADOBO Restaurant & Bar
Aloy Modern Thai
Anise, Modern Vietnamese Eatery
Arden
Asian House of Pastries
Chi Lin Asian Eatery
Coffee Sarap
Colorado Cocoa Pod
CôNu's Corner
Daboba
Denver Poke Company
Die Die Must Try Beverage Co.
Flipn Boba
Gong Cha
Happy Dumpling
Hop Alley
Indochine Cuisine
Kokoro Restaurant (Arvada and Denver)
Kuluka
Lucky Noodles
MAKfam (James Beard Semifinalist: Kenneth Wan, Emerging Chef)
Milk T Boba House
Milkroll Creamery
Moge Tea
Mukja
Ninja Ramen Mobile
Now Pho
Olive & Finch (Cherry Creek and Uptown)
Osaka Ramen
Pho King Rapidos
Pokéworks
Ramen Star
Reckless Noodles
Riceboxx Denver
Sắp Sửa (James Beard Semifinalist: Best New Restaurant)
Sweet Rice Flour
Taeko-San Takeout
Tea Street (Denver and Parker)
The Alley (DTC and Southlands)
The Sweet Life Culinary Productions
Ti Cafe
Tuk Tuk Thai Grill (DTC, Lakewood, Westminster)
Urban Burma
Vita Cane
Welton Room
Wild Taco Denver (Berkeley and Governors Park)
WongWayVeg
Yonggung
Yuan Wonton (James Beard Semifinalist: Penelope Wong, Best Chef Mountain region)
