Let’s Make 2025 The Year Of Collabs!

Oh hey, it’s been a year. It’s 2025, whether we like it or not.

As I sit at a desk in Banff, Canada, gazing at the snow-capped mountains, watching some deer cross the road, I’ve been reflecting on everything I’ve eaten this past year, every restaurant invitation I’ve accepted, and every food event I’ve attended. What consistently stands out the most is not the best cooked steak or the freshest piece of sashimi, but the community-based food events—the collaborations. 

This past year has been the year of the cookbook club and pop-ups, and honestly? I’m here for it. Yes, there’s been a lot happening, but seeing restaurants host pop-ups with new chefs, not only keeps things interesting but it gives so much room for creativity and inspiration. Being able to see how Chef Eric Sze of 886 and Wenwen reimagined the intersection of Taiwanese food and Italian food through sticky rice arancini or a zha-jiang octopus lasagna adds so much to the conversation about food – or attending Tristian Kwong’s pop-up at Jade and Clover and trying a Charred Allium Fuyu Ricotta Wonton on the menu and thinking “I HAVE to try that.” What’s crazy is that since it’s a pop-up, it’s okay to have controversial food. You don’t have to love it. It’s not here for that long anyway. And if you’re just trying to eat good Chinese food or good Korean food, you’ve kind of missed the point. It’s not necessarily about creating more “good food” in New York City, because we have plenty of that. The goal is to add to the canon of what’s already been created and push the boundaries of what people expect.

I can imagine the first Chinese immigrants tasting Andy Kao’s Orange Chicken in 1987 and saying, “Wow, that was just terrible. It’s way too sweet and doesn’t taste authentic at all.” If there were Google ratings, they probably would’ve given it 1 star. Still, I’m sure there were non-Chinese people who had no frame of reference and absolutely loved it. If he had listened to his hater and given up at that point, we wouldn’t have the iconic Chinese-American empire that Panda Express is today.
Even reflecting on my most recent series, “5 Spots Paving the Way for the Future of New York Diners,” there’s been some sort of “long-term” collaboration. I’ve been able to see how these institutional diners, in collaboration with these younger chefs, have been able to attract younger crowds and liven up their menus.

And so I hope you can join me in my Nabi resolution for 2025: attending as many collaborations as I can and pushing what I can come to expect from food.