Each May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month honors the generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for their contributions to American history, society, and culture. The celebration originated in 1978 when Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution to celebrate Asian American Heritage Week, which was held during the first 10 days of May.
This year, for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we asked our employees to share their thoughts on their food, culture, and traditions.
Sushi Merchant, 14 years of incredible service
Chef Hachi loves bringing his passion for sushi and traditional Japanese cuisine to our customers, and we’re proud to highlight his culinary talents for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Employee Advocate, 8 years of incredible service
“A recipe that is memorable to my family is Spam musubi, a Hawaiian food that has Spam, rice, and nori (dried seaweed) that my grandparents grew up making in Hawaii. Many of the recipes that are important to my family are Japanese-Hawaiian fusion recipes that have been passed down from my great-grandparents in Oahu.”
Deli Team Leader, 5 years of incredible service
“We use food to mark milestones and celebrate holidays in Chinese culture. Two dishes that are special to me are noodle soup and dumplings. We have a saying: ‘Before the first step: dumplings. After the last step: noodles.’ This means that before one leaves home, they should eat dumplings to remind them of the togetherness of family and after they arrive at their destination, they should eat noodles to strengthen their connection to their roots.”
Store Chef, 24 years of incredible service
“I believe the most unique food we have is a hardboiled duck egg called Balut. This particular one is very significant to me because, from grade school through freshman year in high school, my brothers and I helped my parents prepare and sell them in the small town where I grew up.”
Water Lilies Food launched their first egg roll in Wegmans Hot Bars 20 years ago. Today, they supply almost 60 Asian appetizers, noodles, sauces, and more to various Wegmans labels and departments. Water Lilies CEO Peter Lee and his talented team are proud to share Asian culture with Wegmans customers.