History rediscovered: Did you know that six Chinese men survived the sinking of the Titanic? You can read their stories in this book. www.nichibei.org/2026/01/a-de...

Umami yummy: Kimono Mom and Dad at a Whole Foods stop in Boulder, CO demonstrating Umami Sauce for shoppers. Here's my story about Moe's journey from Japan to the US: www.nichibei.org/2026/01/kimo...

Key ingredients: Chef Kenta Kamo of Temaki Den and Tarah Runco of the YouTube series "Chef'n It" which features Kamo in an episode prepped for the show by visiting Pacific Mercantile to learn about the differences in soy sauces and seaweeds. #foodporn youtu.be/0L0Kg9GfX4I?...

Cute, but creepy too: DIA is the first airport in the country to feature popup shops selling the hugely popular Labubu dolls and blind boxes. #labubu #blindboxes coloradosun.com/2025/12/23/l...

Family film: Brendan Fraser's "Rental Family" is a terrific, funny, warm movie that tells the story of a popular Japanese industry, of companies that "rent" actors to fill roles for clients including being a friend or family member. A must-see! Here's my review. www.asianavemag.com/rental-famil...

Top notch take home: I've always been surprised that there hasn't been more Filipino restaurants in Denver. But I got to enjoy an amazing Filipino BBQ meal from a takeout ghost kitchen, Paborito, and wrote about it for Asian Avenue. #foodporn www.asianavemag.com/paborito-coo...

On the Hunt: here's my short take on the importance of the fabulous film, "KPop Demon Hunters," which was published on Asian Avenue magazine: www.asianavemag.com/kpop-demon-h...

Eggs-cellent: Japan's heavenly Tamago Sando, or egg salad sandwiches, are finally available in US 7-Eleven stores. Here's my review of the "sandos" from a handful of local sources. #foodporn www.westword.com/food-drink/r...

Tasty exhibit: "Boulder Eats!" is a delicious look back at 150 years of Boulder foodways, including a nostalgic look at restaurants that have come and gone over the decades. Here's my story on Westword. #foodporn www.westword.com/food-drink/n...

Snow ride, take it easy: had to stop and take a photo of these bikes at an apartment complex. #cowx

Holiday gifts galore: here's my story in the Pacific Citizen about Nami and Shen Chen's Just One Cookbook for Japanese recipes, and JOC Goods for Japanese kitchen- and tableware. #japanesefood #japanesecooking www.pacificcitizen.org/joc-is-the-g...

Congrats: master sushi chef Toshi Kizaki was honored recently with a Michelin star, and this week his omakase restaurant, Kizaki, was named one of Esquire's best new restaurants in the U.S. coloradosun.com/2025/12/02/d...

Turkey to go: we celebrated Colonizer's Day with a takeout feast from Mary Nguyen's Olive and Finch, which came with instructions on how to heat everything. Erin made extras like caramelized onions, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and Kaki persimmons on the beet salad. #foodporn #turkeyday #thanksgiving

Making book: hey everyone, join me and a handful of local AANHPI authors to meet us and learn about our works 6pm Dec. 11 at Social Fabric Hub. We'll have books on hand for sale, and happily sign them for you. QR code or visit here to RSVP (it's a free event): www.eventbrite.com/e/asian-book...

Hunting for Grammys: Some of you might remember Jacki Jing, an AANHPI reporter who was on FOX31 in Denver 15 years ago but has forged a career in Hollywood as a creator and actor. She interviewed Ejae, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna about the Grammy noms for "Kpop Demon Hunters." youtu.be/6enwgxlODEU?...

News you can use: I'll be at an open mic discussion at the Denver Press Club this Thursday, with other veterans of the alternative press. I'll talk about my early 1980s days at Westword. 6 pm, 1330 Glenarm Pl. #westword #altweekly #journalism denverpressclub.org/event/consid...

Series will go back north: I'm in LA for a couple of day and the city is buzzing with World Series and Shohei Ohtani mania. I love this huge mural on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo, where I'm staying. Sadly, after a marathon 18-inning Game 3, the Dodgers lost Game 4.

Dessert comfort food. I grew up with my mom making Oshiruko sweet Azuki red bean soup with Mochi, for New Year's. Erin made some homemade mochi and Oshiruko from scratch, with Kabocha Japanese Pumpkin. #foodporn

Pirate parking: fun sight in a parking lot. #halloween

Flavorful fusion: took home Birria Ramen from Chili Shack in LoDo. Instant noodles in a savory consomme soup with a generous bunch of Birria. #foodporn

American Dreaming: "Big Dreams in Denver's Little Saigon" is a powerful exhibit at History Colorado Center chronicling the past, present and future of the Little Saigon business district with oral histories, photos, and original art. Here's my article: www.westword.com/arts-culture...

Make history: It's hard to believe there's never been an Asian American on Denver's City Council. Now, Tran Wills is running to represent SW Denver's District 2, and she'd make a great councilwoman. We went to her launch party at Sap Sua and were inspired. Check her out at tranfortwo.com.

A really grand Grand Opening: Having the CU Marching Band play at the grand opening of @crepetherapycafe in Boulder was a dream of owner Chef Mawa McQueen, and the food, folks and fun lived up to her dream. It'll be a great hangout for anyone in Boulder. #foodporn

Culinary trifecta: Bada Bing Grill in Arvada serves an unusual combination of pizza, Greek and Indian fare, all delicious. #foodporn #westword www.westword.com/food-drink/b...

Japanese American cuisine: "Weiner Royale" wàs a common meal of hot dogs and scrambled eggs with soy sauce served to Japanese Americans in US concentration camps during WWII. It's still comfort food today, though I added onions and used Kimono Mom's Umami Sauce. #foodporn

Autograph hounds: YouTube star Kimono Mom Moe signed a bottle of her fabulous Umami Sauce and I signed a copy of my book for her and her husband Moto and daughter Sutan, who now have a house in LA but are criss-crossing the US educating people about Japanese culture and food. #umamisauce #kimonomom

Mex move: Santo Remedio Mexican restaurant is about to reopen after closing in Berkeley and now moving to Jefferson Park. www.westword.com/food-drink/p...

One of the best? Tokyo Premium Bakery was named by Yelp as number 71 for its tea and coffee, and Westword notes it won Best of Denver as a bakery in 2020. I had an egg salad and ham sando and Anpan pastry the other day and was disappointed by the sandwich. I prefer The Enchanted Oven on Broomfield.

Shrooms with a view: For generations, Japanese American families have hunted for matsutake mushrooms in the mountains west of Denver. But now it's an endangered activity. #japaneseamerican #matsutake #westword www.westword.com/food-drink/m...

Garden party: Restaurateur, entrepreneur and activist Fiona Arnold hosted a preview last week for Garden to Glass, a fundraiser tomorrow night for Denver Urban Gardens at Room for Milly. www.roomformilly.com/event-detail...

Dual personality: SoHi Cafe serves up tasty BBQ and Mexican food out of one funky little eatery in Westwood. #foodporn #bbqmex www.westword.com/food-drink/w...

The first episode is online: Watch the premiere of "Chef'n It," a new Denver series that is posted on YoutTube, with top Colorado chefs helping viewers make homecooked versions of some of their restaurants' top menu items. #foodporn #chefnit youtu.be/tnWJUevDeok?...

The diverse art of the South Asian community: Here's a preview of an art show by the newly formed Colorado South Asian Artists Group, which opens its debut exhibit tonight at the Englewood CityCenter. www.westword.com/arts/colorad...

Home cooking: Chef'n It is a new streaming cooking show featuring Denver area chefs demonstrating how to cook one of their signature dishes in a home kitchen. A brilliant, tasty idea! www.westword.com/restaurants/...

My final monthly #foodporn roundup: I've really enjoyed my time as interim food editor for #Westword. This is a list of my "Best Bites" from August, including a truly amazing meal at Alteno that featured this lamb shank. www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Taiwanese cuisine in the spotlight: Pig and Tiger is a terrific new restaurant on the edge of Five Points; it was one of my favorite recent dinners. #foodporn #westword www.westword.com/restaurants/...

A community finds its voice: I'm fascinated by how many new restaurants opened by Nepali immigrants are touting Nepal's cuisine, even as they continue to serve Indian, which is what most Americans know. #foodporn #westword www.westword.com/restaurants/...

A community hero: Mary Nguyen, owner of the Olive & Finch eateries, is dedicated to helping Denver's economy and to raising up the area's AANHPI communities. www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Woolly good time: I had a lot of fun and good food at the Lamb Jam at Denver Botanic Gardens, which intrdouced the many ways lamb can be enjoyed by attendees. #foodporn #lambjam www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Spirits in the night: Sakura Square's Spirit of Japan event is coming up. Read my preview and register now. #foodporn #spiritofjapan #sakurasquare www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Thai that binds: I attended the Buddhist ceremony blessing the opening of the newest Aloy Thai location in the area. The chain began with a terrific original restaurant in Boulder; Cherry Hills is their fourth spot. #foodporn #westword www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Good news for food: I wrote about Growhaus's food justice fundraiser, a great event that's already almost sold out. www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Update: This ran in Westword last week, the man who killed the owners of the Abide Ride burrito truck was officially charged by the Colorado State Patrol for the deaths. The GoFundMe for the son to continue his parents' legacy is still taking donations. www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Food for thought: KVNF, the powerhouse public radio station in Paonia, Colorado, published this cool cookbook with QR codes to jazz accompaniment for some of the dishes. Will the station be able to publish a followup? #westword #kvnf www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Sweet dreams: I traveled to Colorado's Western Slope to visit the farms that provide the state's famous sweet corn. www.westword.com/restaurants/...

A+ meals for students: Ichigo Matcha, a new shop on the Auraria Campus, serves oba and ice cream, plus a dream for college students: instantly-made Instant Ramen! www.westword.com/restaurants/...

Lakeview: Had to pull off into a driveway to take this photo of Stanley Lake with the sun going down behind the foothills. #coloradosunset

Rufus anime-ized: ChatGPT can take a photo of a pet -- say, our late cat Rufus -- and turn it into an anime-style illustration. Sorta fun way to keep him in our memory. #bakaneko #neko

Partnering with legacy: 40-year-old Anthony's Pizza in the Denver area is now using sausage and meatballs from 100-year-old Polidori Sausage. What a tasty way to top off your New York-style slice! #foodporn

Tiki textures: Ace Eat Serve, a hip Asian fusion restaurant, is hosting a Tiki Takeover on their patio for August. Yeah, tiki is tacky and cultural appropriation, but their food is tasty, and they don't have too much yucky decor out. #foodporn #westword #tiki www.westword.com/restaurants/...