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VinePair named AAPI Food & Wine its 2026 Next Wave Awards Nonprofit of the Year, recognizing the organization’s festivals bringing Asian American and Pacific Islander chefs and wine producers together. Founded in Oregon in 2023, the nonprofit has since held events there and in New York City; it is discussing possible future events in several other cities, but no new locations have been confirmed.
AAPI Food & Wine, the nonprofit that stages festivals featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander chefs and wine producers, was named Nonprofit of the Year in VinePair’s 2026 Next Wave Awards. The recognition comes as the Oregon-founded organization has expanded its events to New York City and is discussing possible future stops, though it has not announced dates or confirmed additional locations.
VinePair’s report traces the nonprofit’s beginnings to Lois and Dave Cho, who launched CHO Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2020. As the winery gained attention, the couple repeatedly heard questions about what shaped their palate. They connected their answer to Korean food and began considering how their wines could pair with the cuisine they grew up with. That led to a broader question about how Asian American wine was represented alongside the growing attention paid to Asian American food.
The Chos launched AAPI Food & Wine in 2023, initially organizing a festival in Oregon. Lois Cho told VinePair that the first event brought together 12 Portland chefs and five Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned Willamette Valley wineries. She said 1,000 people attended and the festival sold out. The report says the organization has since staged three annual walkaround festivals in Oregon, where participants serve samples and attendees can meet food and wine producers.
In March, the nonprofit held a three-day celebration in New York City, its first expansion to the East Coast, and partnered with the Korean restaurant Atoboy. VinePair reports that the events have been near or total sell-outs. The organization now has board members managing operations, including secretary and volunteer director Sylvia Choi and vendor relations and events director Jane Barmore.
A Larger Platform for AAPI Producers
The award recognizes an organization working to bring AAPI food and wine businesses into the same public conversation. Its festival format connects chefs, wineries and attendees directly, giving producers a setting to introduce their work and cultural influences. The reported attendance and sell-outs suggest strong interest in the events, although the source does not provide ticketing data or a broader measure of their economic effect.
For participants, the platform can create visibility beyond a single restaurant, tasting room or region. Lois Cho told VinePair that the nonprofit hopes future events will include emerging cooks and smaller operators, including food-cart businesses, as well as established names. That intention matters because a festival’s lineup determines which voices and businesses receive exposure. The report does not say how future participants will be selected or what support the organization provides beyond event participation.
The recognition also arrives as AAPI Food & Wine moves from a regional Oregon event to a second market on the East Coast. If the nonprofit follows through on further expansion, it could connect producers and audiences in cities not represented by its first events. For now, the award marks recognition of the organization’s work to date, not confirmation that its plans for a national event schedule are funded or finalized.
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From Willamette Valley to New York
The project began with the Chos’ experience as Korean American winemakers and their interest in pairing CHO Wines with Korean cuisine. According to VinePair, thinking through that connection made them reflect on how little appreciation they felt Asian American wine received compared with food. Their initial idea was a potluck for AAPI community members in the Willamette Valley; the event grew into a public festival.
The first Oregon festival included wineries such as Hundred Suns Wine and Et Fille Wines, alongside Portland restaurants including Sun Rice and Matta. The report says later events have involved established industry figures, among them winemaker Sashi Moorman of Evening Land Vineyards and James Beard Award-winning bakers Jin Caldwell and Kyurim “Q” Lee of JinJu Patisserie. Those examples show the range of food and beverage participants featured, but do not establish that every event has had the same lineup or scale.
The organization’s New York City event was a distinct step beyond its Oregon base. The report describes it as a three-day celebration held in March and identifies Atoboy as a partner. Lois Cho told VinePair that requests for events have also come from other parts of the country. Interest and discussions are not confirmed bookings: the source names potential cities but gives no dates, venues or formal announcements.
“The first year, we hosted 12 Portland chefs and five Asian American Pacific Islander-owned wineries from the Willamette Valley. We had 1,000 people show up, and it was sold out.”
— Lois Cho, co-founder of AAPI Food & Wine, speaking to VinePair
Expansion Plans Still Unconfirmed
VinePair reports that AAPI Food & Wine is discussing events in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin. The report does not confirm that any of those events will take place, and it provides no schedule, venues, budgets or details about how expansion would be organized. The New York event is the only East Coast expansion described as having taken place.
The source also does not give the award’s selection criteria, the number of nominees, or details about any prize or financial support attached to the recognition. Its attendance figures and descriptions of events as sell-outs are reported by the source, but there is no independent ticketing or revenue data in the supplied material. The nonprofit’s longer-term impact on producer sales, representation in the wine industry or access to audiences remains unspecified.
Cities Under Discussion, No Dates Yet
The next confirmed development in the source is not a scheduled festival but the organization’s ongoing expansion discussions. Lois Cho told VinePair that AAPI Food & Wine is hearing requests from cities beyond Oregon and New York and wants to bring attention to producers outside those existing markets. She also said she hopes future festivals will make space for up-and-coming chefs and small food businesses, rather than focusing only on widely known names.
Readers should look for formal announcements from the nonprofit before treating any proposed city as a confirmed stop. Such an announcement would clarify dates, venues, participating vendors and whether the event format will match the existing festivals. For now, the 2026 award recognizes the nonprofit’s work so far, while the scale and timing of its next stage remain open.
Key Questions
What award did AAPI Food & Wine receive?
VinePair named AAPI Food & Wine its 2026 Next Wave Awards Nonprofit of the Year, according to the supplied report.
When and where did AAPI Food & Wine begin?
The nonprofit was launched in 2023 by Lois and Dave Cho, following their work as winemakers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Its first festival brought Portland chefs and AAPI-owned regional wineries together.
Has the organization announced events in other cities?
No. Lois Cho told VinePair that Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin are under discussion. The report gives no confirmed dates or venues for those cities.
What happened at the first festival?
Cho told VinePair that the inaugural Oregon event featured 12 Portland chefs and five AAPI-owned Willamette Valley wineries, drew 1,000 attendees and sold out.
What was the organization’s first event outside Oregon?
In March, AAPI Food & Wine held a three-day celebration in New York City, which VinePair describes as its first East Coast expansion. The event partnered with the Korean restaurant Atoboy.
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