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VinePair named AAPI Food & Wine its Next Wave Nonprofit of the Year in its 2026 Next Wave Awards coverage. Founded by Oregon winemakers Lois and Dave Cho, the nonprofit has held festivals in Oregon and New York and is discussing possible events in other U.S. cities.
AAPI Food & Wine, the nonprofit festival organization founded by Oregon winemakers Lois and Dave Cho, has been named Nonprofit of the Year in VinePair’s 2026 Next Wave Awards coverage. The recognition comes after the group expanded from annual Oregon festivals to a three-day New York City event, bringing together AAPI chefs, wineries and other food and wine professionals.
The Chos launched AAPI Food & Wine in 2023 after conversations about how their wines could pair with Korean food led them to organize a potluck for AAPI community members in the Willamette Valley. That gathering became a public festival intended to give Asian American–made wine greater visibility alongside AAPI cuisine. The initial event featured 12 Portland chefs and five AAPI-owned Willamette Valley wineries, Lois Cho told VinePair, and drew 1,000 attendees. She said it sold out.
Since then, the nonprofit has held three annual walkaround festivals in Oregon, where participating vendors offer samples and attendees can meet and learn from them. Earlier this year, it held its first East Coast events: a three-day celebration in New York City. VinePair reported that the events have been near or total sell-outs. The article names past participants including Hundred Suns Wine, Et Fille Wines, Portland restaurants Sun Rice and Matta, and New York restaurant Atoboy.
A board now handles nonprofit operations, including secretary and volunteer director Sylvia Choi and vendor relations and events director Jane Barmore. The organization has also worked with industry figures including Evening Land Vineyards winemaker Sashi Moorman and JinJu Patisserie bakers Jin Caldwell and Kyurim “Q” Lee, whom VinePair identifies as James Beard Award-winning. The award report presents the recognition alongside the organization’s growth, but does not specify judging criteria or a separate award ceremony.
A Platform for AAPI Food and Wine
The award recognizes an organization working across two parts of the food and drink industry that the Chos say have not received equal attention. Their initial idea came from wanting CHO Wines to complement Korean food; reflecting on that connection, they saw a gap in recognition for Asian American wine producers compared with the visibility of AAPI cuisine. The festival’s format puts chefs, winemakers and audiences in the same space, offering participants a direct way to present their work and heritage.
The nonprofit’s expansion also broadens the potential audience for that work. Its New York events moved the program beyond Oregon, while the Chos say they are hearing requests for events in other cities. If those plans proceed, local chefs and wine businesses outside its existing regions could gain a platform. That is a possible consequence, not a confirmed schedule: the cited report describes discussions and requests, not announced dates or venues.
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From Willamette Valley Potluck to Festival
The organization began with a question Lois and Dave Cho repeatedly heard after starting CHO Wines in 2020: what shaped their palate? They thought of the Korean food they grew up eating and of making wines suited to that cuisine. A potluck idea grew into the first festival, which Lois told VinePair came together within weeks but attracted a strong response from attendees.
Lois described the first gathering as emotionally resonant as well as successful. She told VinePair that people approached her with tears in their eyes, an experience that helped convince the organizers the event met a need. In the report, she connects the festival’s appeal to a broader shift: younger AAPI communities are more publicly sharing their heritage through food and wine. That is her account of the community’s experience, rather than a measured finding about the entire industry.
“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
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Expansion Plans Still Undated
VinePair’s report does not provide the award’s selection process, the number of nominees, or details about any formal presentation. It also does not publish attendance figures for later festivals or the New York City celebration, beyond saying events have been near or total sell-outs. The organization’s budget, staffing beyond the named board roles, and longer-term operating plans are not described.
Further expansion remains prospective. Cho said the nonprofit was in conversations about Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin, and that it had received requests. No dates, venues, local partners or confirmed city line-up were included in the report. The article also does not identify which events, if any, are formally scheduled after New York.
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Possible Cities Await Confirmation
The next development to watch is whether AAPI Food & Wine turns its reported conversations into specific events. The cities Cho mentioned are possibilities, not confirmed stops. Any announcements would clarify timing, participating vendors and how the nonprofit intends to select local chefs and winemakers.
Cho told VinePair she wants future festivals to feature more people beyond established names, including emerging cooks running small brick-and-mortar businesses or food carts. That stated aim could shape the next phase of the organization’s programming, but the report gives no selection criteria or dates. Until the group announces details, its award marks recognition of work already carried out rather than confirmation of a wider tour.
wine tasting set for Asian cuisine
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Key Questions
What award did AAPI Food & Wine receive?
VinePair named the organization Nonprofit of the Year in its 2026 Next Wave Awards coverage.
Who founded AAPI Food & Wine?
Oregon winemakers Lois and Dave Cho, founders of CHO Wines, launched the organization in 2023.
Where has the organization held festivals?
It has held three annual walkaround festivals in Oregon and, earlier this year, a three-day celebration in New York City.
Are events in other cities confirmed?
No. Lois Cho told VinePair the organization was in discussions about Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin, but the report gave no dates or confirmed plans for those cities.
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