2024 highlights
Big announcement!
Finally, I can share that my debut non-fiction book An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) will be published with Renegade Books. Three years ago I started self-publishing a series of essays that uses Chinese food as a lens to explore who we in the diaspora are, and how we relate to the world. Those 26 essays comprise not a recipe book, but a deliberate ‘anti-glossary’ – an edible anthology that serves up Chinese flavour beyond just its taste.
Golden Chopsticks Award 2024
I am a finalist in the Golden Chopsticks Award’s ‘Food Influencer’ category.
Code Hospitality’s Women of the Year 2024
I was included in Code Hospitality’s Women of the Year list for the second time. This time in the ‘Leader’ category for ‘setting strategic direction, influencing change, and achieving substantial impact through leadership in the hospitality industry’.
London Feeds Itself, 2nd edition
Jenny Lau is published in the expanded 2nd edition of London Feeds Itself, Jonathan Nunn’s anthology that explores London’s food vernacular culture.
2024 — past events:
13th Jul: HCCS Fundraiser
Jenny is steering the Salad Super Squad for Hackney Chinese’s farewell party. More information on Instagram.
27th Jun: Queer Community Mingle!
Jenny is organising an ESEA Queer Community Mingle! at Hackney Chinese, sponsored by Ajinomoto.
26th May: British Library Food Season
Jenny is taking part in two events at British Library’s Food Season. On 26th May she will be a guest speaker for the panel discussion How Food Crosses Continents, and moderating her own panel Classical/Non-Classical: Rethinking Food and Music.
3rd Feb: Asian Slaw Alliance - live in conversation
Jenny Lau invites Asian food lovers to reclaim and reimagine the ‘Asian’ in ‘Asian slaw’ according to their heritage and memories in this conversation with Art Director Chris O’Leary. Asian Slaw Alliance is a creative, trope-busting, food storytelling project by Lau, founder of food platform Celestial Peach. Chris O’Leary is founder of FatBoy Zine, a publishing project that combines visual arts with writing and delicious Asian recipes.
19th Nov: Song In Your Pocket
Jenny and Emma-Lee Moss reprise their pickling and songwriting workshop.
27th Sep: Bracia Eight Hands Dinner
Jenny is joining hands with Tintin Jonsson AKA Swilipino and Karol Adamiak and Barclay Bram of Bracia for a one-off pop-up dinner combining their Chinese, Swedish, Filipino and Polish influences.
31st Jul: MilkTea Films panel
Jenny is part of the Q&A panel at MilkTea’s community preview of Sean Wang’s DÌDI (弟弟).
13th Jun: Writers for Palestine
Jenny will do a live reading at a Palestine solidarity event.
March: Communitea Poem @ Horniman
Join Jenny at the Horniman’s 茶, चाय, Tea (Chá, Chai, Tea) exhibition to help her write a Communitea Poem.
9th Feb: Preserving Identity - Pickling and Song
Join singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss and food activist Jenny Lau and unlock your multitudes in this immersive and playful community workshop as part of Kakilang’s Creative Lab 2.0.
17th Aug: ESEA unseen @ Southbank
Jenny is Mistress of Ceremony for the Happenstance stage as part of ESEA unseen’s takeover of the Southbank Centre. Free to attend.
6th Jul: Woolwich Works’ Beanfeast
Join Jenny for a quick pickling workshop.
5th Jun: Friends of Halkevi
Jenny is organising the second annual gathering for the Kurdish & Turkish community centre in Dalston.
28th Apr: Hot Flush by Peachy Endings
It’s the mother of all pop-ups. Celestial Peach is collaborating with Happy Endings to form Peachy Endings for one day only. Expect full-spectrum spice levels, strata of umami and textured toppings atop full bodied, premium quality soft serve ice cream. Find out more on Instagram.
Read a retrospective review of the Year of the Rabbit 2023-24 and Jenny’s reflections for the year ahead.