Specialty menu items like black sesame creme brulee layered over a bed of house-made boba or a McRib-inspired spicy pork patty sandwich with pickled daikon and a Korean BBQ sauce will be made available during this year’s Mile High Asian Food Week (MHAFW).
Over 100 chefs, vendors and restaurateurs are gearing up to celebrate the flavors of Asian cuisine across the state next week.
Vendors like Daboba, Mukja and Sweet Rice Flour are creating items that fuse the flavors of traditional Asian cuisine with other cultural flavors that Denver has to offer.
Think the Southeast Asian durian fruit paired with a French choux pastry puff ball or Mangonada boba blended with fresh mango, chamoy and tajin.
James Makowski owns and operates Mukja with his mother, blending together Korean culinary traditions with Mexican and American flavors he grew up around.
“Korean [food] fuses very well with a lot of these other foods,” Makowski said. “We can make it our own while paying homage and respect to that culture.”
These are just a few of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander vendors to be on the lookout for next week.
Secret menu items, BOGO offers, free items with the purchase of an entree: Here’s how to food week.
MHAFW is a week-long celebration of Colorado’s growing AANHPI culinary scene.
Running April 28 to May 4, participating vendors will offer insider perks like special discounts, secret menu and specialty menu items when visitors mention MHAFW.
There are over 100 participating vendors this year from Castle Rock to Longmont and locations in between.
This year, organizers have built a Google My Maps function to help plan your route and get a visual look at participating vendors near you.
You can also filter vendors by gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian dietary restrictions and location.
“We think Denver is having a moment,” said Chea Franz, spokesperson for MHAFW.
The inaugural MHAFW launched last year with what was originally meant to draw the interest of a few dozen vendors. Capped at 50 vendors, organizers announced their intent to return in 2024 with plans to make it “bigger and better.”
A handful of Denver vendors and chefs have most recently received major culinary recognitions from both James Beard and Michelin critics including Sắp Sửa, MAKfam, Yuan Wonton and Hop Alley.
The programming is entirely volunteer-led. Volunteer coordinator Kim Jassem began organizing a street team back in November tasked with spreading the word about MHAFW to restaurant owners.
“It was really important to have multilingual volunteers,” Jassem said. “I think the popularity of last year also helped boost this year.”
Lariza Amon founded Riceboxx Denver in 2020, hosting various pop-ups across Aurora and Denver. Their menu consists of elevated Filipino and Cambodian food like their crispy chicken adobo with garlic fried rice topped with scallions.
Riceboxx Denver was part of the inaugural MHAFW. Amon said it gave them a chance to expand their brand and also learn more about other Asian businesses in the community.
“We’ve learned to not hold back,” Amon said regarding what they’ve learned since first opening. “I think people are ready to accept what the full flavor of food is and not be afraid of putting out good flavorful food and what we actually eat. If I like it, other people will like it.”
