By Erin Chew, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Entrepreneur, social activist, and chef Roy Choi, who is known as one of the architects of the modern gourmet food truck movement in America explores complex social justice issues in Broken Bread. Co-produced by KCET and Tastemade, the series is now in its second season and it will continue the journey left off in season 1, with deeper conversations and truths revealed about how broken food systems affect people.
Choi will meet inspiring individuals and organizations who challenge the status quo and use food as a platform for activism and a catalyst for change. As the connector, Choi teams up with those making a difference and thus, fuels his deep love for the food community and the players who fight to transform it for the better.
“The people who audiences have and will meet in the series are our silent heroes who are looking out for us. In season 2 of the series we will go bigger with a vision board to show how the food movement drives social activism and change in our society at a deeper level,” Choi tells AsAmNews.
Choi believes that food is the entry point to all types of activism and social change because it is one of the only things which connects people together. His vision is to show that as humans we are all not so different and instead of pushing hatred and inequality, it is time to preach love and equality through food access.
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“Food, in my opinion, is the entry point to activism but those who control the access to food have used it against people – like the big junk food companies, chemical, and GMO companies etcetera,” he said. “The production team and myself of Broken Bread, plan to push the mold of what access means and it’s a passion of ours to work on this series and show people that eating well is a human right, not a luxury.”
Choi spoke about how storytelling is one of the only ways to add value to cuisine. Sharing the stories of family and the love that is put into every dish cooked is a way to dispel negative stereotypes of Asian take-out as cheap and greasy.
“We compare that to say a bowl of pasta which can cost over $30 even though it doesn’t require overly expensive ingredients, and the reason for this is all about the importance of storytelling,” he said. “If we take the negative Asian food stereotypes it stands that a bowl of Pho can’t cost more than $10 despite the fact a lot of ingredients like meat, noodles, herbs, and spices go into it are not cheap.”
He believes storytelling can increase the value of Asian cuisine.
Season 2 of Broken Bread premieres on Tuesday, January 25 at 8 p.m. PT on Tastemade and KCET. All six episodes of the new season will also be available for streaming on Jan. 25 for Tastemade+ subscribers and PBS SoCal/KCET Passport members.
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