WASHINGTON — A number of D.C. chefs are coming together for a special Lunar New Year dinner this weekend. Wharf restaurant Moon Rabbit is hosting a fundraising dinner on Sunday with proceeds from tickets sold going to victims and families impacted by the mass shooting at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park, California, in which 11 people were killed.
Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien is the co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate. The organization began in 2021 to combat a rise in anti-Asian racism. Since its launch, Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for marginalized communities. Previously, co-founding chefs Tien and Tim Ma have hosted fundraising dinners for Afghan refugees and to support World Central Kitchen's work at the Ukraine border.
Sunday's dinner event is a collaboration with seven chefs. Chefs participating are Ma, Erik Bruner Yang of Maketto, Yuan Tang of Rooster & Owl, Paolo Dungca of Hiraya, Masako Morishita of Perry's and Moon Rabbit pastry chef Susan Bae. Each chef will prepare one course.
Tickets for the event cost $200. In addition to Monterey Park, proceeds will also go toward the 1882 Foundation, a Chinese civil rights nonprofit organization, and the Washington Chinese Youth Club.