Learn to make dumplings, a popular Chinese dish symbolizing wealth and prosperity for the new year, with BCNC community member Forra Yu. Forra will lead the class in making meat and vegetarian dumplings.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA green, red, and orange lines.

Contact: Anju Madhok | 617-863-9073

Warm pakoras, cool coriander chutney, and hot spiced chai - a perfect complement to a crisp October weekend. Join Chavi in making and tasting these classic Indian treats!

This season’s other workshops for the In the Kitchen series are July 13: Fried Tofu & Seafood Tofu and August 10: Baigan Choka & Oil Roti.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

About the Artist: Born and brought up in India, Chavi Bansal is an artist, educator, personal trainer, and yoga teacher. Her passions include: seeing people happy and healthy, building communities, and sharing nutritional information about everyday food. She has conducted many workshops including: Eating healthy under a budget, Nutritional cooking, and Healthy Simple Indian food.

She has been teaching classes at Roxbury tenants of Harvard in Boston and would love to bring some of her successful recipes to BCNC. To know more about Chavi please check out : https://www.chavibansalyoga.com/  and https://www.chavibansal.org/.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street, and is wheelchair accessible. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Anju Madhok | 617-635-5129 x 2017

Ever wanted to make your own dumplings, but been in the dumps because you don’t know how? Don’t worry! Bamboo Circle will teach you how to fill, fold, and cook dumplings!

There’ll be siu much fun, but space is limited—sign up now! All proceeds from ticket sales will support the Youth Center.

We’ll meet at BCNC’s 4th floor kitchen at 38 Ash St. Hope to see you there!

Experience the flavors of two popular Caribbean foods with East Indian influences: Baigan choka - mashed roasted eggplant - and oil roti - thin, flaky flatbread that melts in your mouth! In this workshop, Dharani will lead us in bringing these recipes to life while connecting these foods to stories of Indo-Guyanese-American identity.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

This season’s other workshops in the In the Kitchen series are July 13: Fried Tofu & Seafood Tofu and October 12: Pakoras & Chai.

About the Artist: Dharani Persaud is a queer Indo-Guyanese-American writer, activist, and archival enthusiast from Minnesota. She currently works in Boston at GrubStreet as their Youth & Community Programs Coordinator. She has writing published or forthcoming in Kajal Magazine, 2040 Review, Brown Girl Magazine, and Hobart. In her free time she enjoys experimenting with recipes from her ancestors or lying in the sun.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street, and is wheelchair accessible. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Anju Madhok | 617-635-5129 x 2017

It’s a tofu extravaganza! Join Forra in making and learning about fried stuffed tofu and seafood tofu. These are two tasty dishes you won’t want to miss!

This season’s other workshops for the In the Kitchen series are August 10: Baigan Choka & Oil Roti and October 12: Pakoras & Chai.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

About the Artist: Forra Yee Ngor Yu is currently employed as a Tax Compliance Officer. She immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in 1978.

One of her greatest passions is serving her community. She is currently Treasurer of the Malden Lions Club. Also, she served in the Chinatown Lions Club Chapter as President (2013-14). In the past several years, she has volunteered at many events including the Christmas celebration and fundraising events for the YMCA of Greater Boston, New Year’s celebration for Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) (2008-18), and for Bread of Life in Malden during which she distributes Thanksgiving meals during November. The volunteer work has been very rewarding and for filling at a personal level for her.

Her many interests include: cooking, red envelope art, decorating the office during the holiday seasons with handmade arts and crafts, Zumba, kickboxing, jewelry design, and traveling.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street, and is wheelchair accessible. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Anju Madhok | 617-635-5129 x 2017

Wrap beancurd (also known as tofu skin) around shredded vegetables to create delicious Chinese vegetarian/ vegan rolls to please your palate. Mmm!

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

This season’s other workshops in the In the Kitchen series are: March 2: Wontons & April 6: Chicken Curry.

About the Artist: Forra Yee Ngor Yu is currently employed as a Tax Compliance Officer. She immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in 1978.

One of her greatest passions is serving her community. She is currently Treasurer of the Malden Lions Club. Also, she served in the Chinatown Lions Club Chapter as President (2013-14). In the past several years, she has volunteered at many events including the Christmas celebration and fundraising events for the YMCA of Greater Boston, New Year’s celebration for Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) (2008-18), and for Bread of Life in Malden during which she distributes Thanksgiving meals during November. The volunteer work has been very rewarding and for filling at a personal level for her.

Her many interests include: cooking, red envelope art, decorating the office during the holiday seasons with handmade arts and crafts, Zumba, kickboxing, jewelry design, and traveling.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vanessa Woo | 617-863-9080

Savor a flavorful batch of chicken curry that is sure to warm your stomachs and learn the labor of love that goes into making and feeding oneself and others. In this workshop, Chavi will be sharing her family recipe of curry chicken using healthy ingredients while about the benefits of ingredients and spices used.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

This season’s other workshops in the In the Kitchen series are: March 2: Wontons & May: Vegetarian/ Vegan Beancurd Rolls.

About the Artist: Born and brought up in India, Chavi Bansal is an artist, educator, personal trainer, and yoga teacher. Her passions include: seeing people happy and healthy, building communities, and sharing nutritional information about everyday food. She has conducted many workshops including: Eating healthy under a budget, Nutritional cooking, and Healthy Simple Indian food.

She has been teaching classes at Roxbury tenants of Harvard in Boston and would love to bring some of her successful recipes to BCNC. To know more about Chavi please check out : https://www.chavibansalyoga.com/  and https://www.chavibansal.org/.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vanessa Woo | 617-863-9080

This workshop has been rescheduled from March 2 to March 16.

Love mouthwatering dumplings? Come try a variety of dumplings filled with pork and shrimp known as wontons! Students will learn to prepare two variations: steamed and deep-fried. Mmm!

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

This season’s other workshops in the In the Kitchen series are: April 6: Chicken Curry & May 4: Vegetarian/ Vegan Beancurd Rolls.

About the Artist: Forra Yee Ngor Yu is currently employed as a Tax Compliance Officer at Wealth Manager Services. She immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in 1978.

One of her greatest passions is serving her community. She is currently Treasurer of the Malden Lions Club. Also, she served in the Chinatown Lions Club Chapter as President (2013-14). In the past several years, she has volunteered at many events including the Christmas celebration and fundraising events for the YMCA of Greater Boston, New Year’s celebration for Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) (2008-18), and for Bread of Life in Malden during which she distributes Thanksgiving meals during November. The volunteer work has been very rewarding and for filling at a personal level for her.

Her many interests include: cooking, red envelope art, decorating the office during the holiday seasons with handmade arts and crafts, Zumba, kickboxing, jewelry design, and traveling.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073

Tea is a staple in Chinese kitchens and tables. Come take this workshop to taste and learn about the ceremonial role of tea in Chinese culture.

Stay for other family-friendly activities happening on February 17 to celebrate the New Year.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

About the Artist: Dr. Xingcai Zhang is a research fellow at Harvard/MIT. He was the President of the World Tea Organization, North American Chinese Tea Association, and mylovetea.com. He was invited by Chinese Consul Generals to lead the national-level tea fest and talk about the science and health benefits of tea for the United States President George H. W. Bush`s family. He introduced the World Tea Day to United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. He is invited to work on the Nature Tea Outlook for Nature journal. He is a Springer Nature Editor and a Nature Nano Ambassador. Dr. Zhang also serves as a science writer for Elsevier Materials Today and Royal Society of Chemistry, and as an advisory board member for Wiley, an editorial board member or guest editor for high-impact scientific journals. Dr. Zhang finished his Ph.D. in natural products based nanomedicine and published around 40 high-impact international journal papers. Dr. Zhang is known as Dr. Tea and had been invited to give lectures/tea ceremonies at Harvard, MIT, BU, Tufts etc multiple times and had been reported by Harvard Political Review, China Daily USA, Fox News Radio, Boston.com, Boston Globe, Bostonese, China Radio International etc. hundreds of times. Dr. Zhang had also organized world tea summit and played a major role in a famous tea documentary. Dr. Zhang has composed more than 1000 Chinese Tang Dynasty-style poems including tea poems and some of them have been translated into English. Dr. Zhang can be reached at 2253041387(phone), mylovetea@outlook.com.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA green, red, and orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073

Learn how to make, fold, shape, and cook dumplings with local BCNC community member YuYan Su. Dumplings are a popular Chinese dish for the new year. YuYan Su will be teaching two recipes: one that appeals to traditional palates as well as her own delicious, unique Chinese American recipe. 

Stay for other family-friendly activities happening on February 17 to celebrate the New Year.

The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC. Materials will be provided. 

NOTE: Registration for this event has reached its capacity. Please contact Vania Chan for more information.

About the Artist: YuYan Su came to the United States with her parents in 2001. She worked in the Boston Market for nine years. During her time of work there, whenever she saw customers enjoy the food, she was filled with a kind of fulfillment and happiness. That was the beginning of when her interest in cooking blossomed. Once during a BCNC Cooking Matters class, the teacher gave her a chance to lead and instruct. This opportunity was the moment that made her fall in love with the atmosphere of learning to cook with everyone.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA green, red, and orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073

Food has the unique power to bring together family, neighbors, and strangers. The In the Kitchen series highlights the stories, knowledge, and recipes from residents, artists, and Chinatown community members. Drop in for 1 or all 3 classes that feature the culture-rich foods of the Asian community and connect with other participants and the instructor while enjoying your edible creations. 

Mantou is slightly sweet, steamed Chinese bread that has a lot versatility in Asian cuisine. Learn a beloved family recipe and fill your own buns with your choice of fillings-- such as Char Siu (Chinese roast pork) from a local barbecue spot, cool cucumbers, scallions, and 5 Spice Tofu.

Other In the Kitchen Classes:

October 20: Art of Spices

Materials will be provided. Please inform us if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions. The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC.

Register by October 27.

About the Artist: Vania Chan completed the Professional Preparatory Program at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts. In addition to circus, she has worked in sustainability and continues to work with immigrant communities. Her early roots as an Asian American who grew up in Massachusetts make her passionate about equity. 

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073

Food has the unique power to bring together family, neighbors, and strangers. The In the Kitchen series highlights the stories, knowledge, and recipes from residents, artists, and Chinatown community members. Drop in for 1 or all 3 classes that feature the culture-rich foods of the Asian community and connect with other participants and the instructor while enjoying your edible creations.

Love the flavors of South Asian food and want to know how the right combinations and ratios so you can make delicious dishes at home? Come to this workshop to learn about 5 spices that are commonly used in South Asian kitchens.

Materials will be provided. Please inform us if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions. The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC.

Other event in this series: November 3: Mantou

Register by October 13.

About the Artist: Diya Reshamwala, MA is an artist and art therapist living in the Boston area. Painting has been her companion from her early years of covering every wall with crayons, to her graduate degree, most recently taking on a new life. Beginning in life, her paintings transform to hold the stories that were conjured by the act of making the mark. In the moment when a painting is complete, she revels in how close the world is to her. Her primary focus is on her canvas and oil paints. As an art therapist, she explores various materials with the primary intent of discovering the connection between the act of creating and the physical self. Diya has spent the past 8 years honing her skills to understand the needs of a group and offers solutions in art making to move forward toward achieving future goals.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073

Comics aren’t just for kids! Learn to capture the characters, concepts, and stories you’ve been imagining in panels with this introductory comics workshop.

Materials will be provided. The fee is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled by BCNC.

About the Artist: Shaina Lu is an educator and artist that lives in Boston. She has experience teaching art and English in both China and Boston and holds a Master’s degree in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied the intersection of art, education, and activism. Shaina has illustrated and published several picture books and comics, and has created art for projects ranging from computer games to community murals.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073
 

When literacy and illustration meet right before the kids swing back into the school year. Let your kids' imaginations run wild as they participate in this free workshop where they will learn to craft their own storybooks. Programming in conjunction with Pao Arts Center exhibition, From Pencil to Page: Sketches and Illustrations by Grace Lin. 

Materials will be provided. Donations accepted to support Pao Arts Center programming.

About the Artist: Shaina Lu is an educator and artist that lives in Boston. She has experience teaching art and English in both China and Boston and holds a Master’s degree in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied the intersection of art, education, and activism. Shaina has illustrated and published several picture books and comics, and has created art for projects ranging from computer games to community murals.

Directions: The Pao Arts Center is located in the One Greenway building, 99 Kneeland Street. For GPS driving directions, use 66 Hudson Street, Boston, MA 02111. From Hudson Street, walk up the stairs and across the deck to the 99 Albany Street entrance. The public parking garage entrance is on Hudson Street. The Pao Arts Center is accessible by the MBTA Green, Red, and Orange lines.

Contact: Vania Chan | 617-863-9073