Behind the Wok: Preserving the Legacy of Chinese American Restaurants in Portland’s Jade District

Name: Behind the Wok: Preserving the Legacy of Chinese American Restaurants in Portland’s Jade District
Start: 2025-09-17T18:00:00-07:00
Location: Oregon Historical Society

Schedule

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Oregon Historical Society | Portland, OR

Join urban designer and cultural preservationist Suenn Ho for an evening of storytelling and reflection on the legacy of Chinese American restaurants in Portland’s Jade District. As the lead researcher, designer, and curator for Behind the Wok, a digital archive developed in partnership with APANO Communities United Fund, Ho will share insights from documenting six multigenerational restaurants that shaped the cultural fabric of the neighborhood. Through oral histories, historical images, and community memory, the project reveals how food, family, and place intersect — while inviting deeper conversations on presence and displacement in Portland’s immigrant communities.
This event is free and open the public. Doors open at 5:30pm and the program begins at 6pm.
Suenn Ho is the co-founder of RESOLVE Architecture + Planning and a longtime advocate for culturally rooted design. Her work spans historic interpretation, public architecture, and community-based planning. Ho’s approach centers the lived experiences of immigrant and BIPOC communities, with a focus on design as a tool for justice and memory. She served as the lead designer and curator for Behind the Wok, a digital archive honoring Chinese American restaurant legacies in Portland. Her past projects include the award-winning Garden of Surging Waves in Astoria and other cultural placemaking installations across Oregon.