Immersive and Interactive

Luis Chen

Luis M. Chen was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Paraguay as a teenager. After relocating to San Jose, California, he joined the United States Army. After serving two years of active duty in San Antonio, Texas, he joined the Army Reserves in California. When he moved to Houston and became involved with Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation and promotion, Luis created a foodie meetup event known as the Chinatown Crawl. Luis helped found the Asian Pacific American (APA) ERG (Employee Resource Group) Houston Chapter for Comcast in 2017.  He has also served on the Board of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) since 2019. During the CoVid-19 pandemic, he learned new ways to promote AAPI culture and diversity, with virtual events such as Lunar New Year CelebrASIAN, Monthly APA Happy Hour, Virtual Dumpling Party, Virtual Sushi Party, Online Diwali Festival of Lights, Online Holi Festival of Colors, Luis is passionate about making Houston Chinatown a tourist destination.

Taiwan​​​​​​​​

​Connie LaCobie

I am a Chinese American immigrant from Hong Kong. I arrived in Houston in the early 1980s as a student of the University of Houston and have a strong passion to spread my Cantonese cultural heritage to our next generation. I have been engaged in presentations at the YMCA, such as Lunar New Year Celebration and a virtual food show using Zoom.  I also volunteered as a virtual food chef for Plant It Forward, and participated in special events, like their Eggplant Fair, where I demonstrated how to make Dragon Boat dumplings.
I have been operating Té House of Tea, an on-line tea retailer and local custom wholesaler to Houston restaurants and cafes, and have been a local tea business owner since 2005.
I support Blackwood SkyFarm Rooftop Sunday Farmers Market and have done tea tasting events at the YMCA, Belmont Senior Living, and The Church of Saint John the Divine.
I am a herbalist and have my own apothecary and work with local farmers like AfriHarvest, Plant It Forward Farms, and Blackwood Farms.  As an herbal health advocate I encourage people to adopt herbs for their preventive health functions. 

I am continuously serving my Houston community.

Hong Kong

Cathy Podell has been working with the Asian Community for several years to help promote economic development through tourism, by creating awareness of this amazing cultural destination in the City of Houston.  She has worked with the Asia Society Texas Center to create a virtual Asiatown tour, with a grant funded by the City of Houston, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA), and managed the Asian Heritage Tour program at the Chinese Community Center. Her company, Houston Asiatown Tours was created in 2021 to continue to educate, support, and bring people from Texas and beyond to explore Houston’s Asian Community.

Philadelphia, PA

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Dylan Coffey has been involved in the Japanese community for over 10 years. During his time at Purdue University, he studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan while pursuing an Asian Studies degree. Upon graduating, Dylan lived in Japan for three years while doing the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program. While living in Northern Japan, Dylan was able to learn a lot about Japanese culture, food, and values. Since returning to the US, Dylan has worked in the non-profit US-Japan sector for the past 4 years and is particularly passionate about sharing culture through the medium of food. He looks forward to imparting his knowledge about Japan (especially Japanese food) with others.

Indianapolis, IN

Judy Pham was born and raised in Indiana, moving to Texas during her high school years. She fell in love with her own and other cultures in the Houston area!  At the beginning of her higher education experience at Lone Star College-CyFair, she became the Vietnamese Student Association (as well as the
Student Government Association) President for over two years, advocating for student success, mental health, and spreading cultural awareness.

She provided a networking hub for Vietnamese students to connect on campus by hosting monthly meetings, game nights/events, and was always ready to
help fellow students in any way she could. In her presidency, she taught and celebrated with students and faculty on campus about the major holidays celebrated in the Vietnamese culture.  During her community involvement
at Lone Star College, she discovered a huge passion she has for her own culture, student advocacy, and leadership. She spends her free time exploring Houston Asiatown and Katy Asian Town herself with friends and family!

She is always eager to learn, welcomes new experiences, and ready for action!

Fort Wayne, IN

Hello, this is Jayati.  I was Born, raised, and educated in Kolkata, India; but my professional life, first as a scientist and then as a teacher in public schools, has been in Houston. I love to tell the world about the art, culture, and rich heritage of India. Over a span of 30 years, I have showcased India through lectures, workshops, interactive classes, and presentations. I have had the privilege to work at Children’s Museum of Houston, Chinese Community Center, Asia Society, corporate offices, and schools. Two passions rule my life, teaching and traveling.  In my wanderings around the globe, I have imbibed so many cultures, and learned so much, that I feel I am now a citizen of the world. I am friendly, cheerful, enthusiastic, and ready to jump into any new creative venture.

Kolkata, India