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VinePair named AAPI Food & Wine its 2026 Next Wave Awards Nonprofit of the Year. Founded by Oregon winemakers Lois and Dave Cho, the organization has grown from a 2023 Oregon festival into an event series that expanded to New York City, with additional cities under discussion.
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. The recognition highlights an organization that brings together Asian American and Pacific Islander chefs, wineries and audiences, and has expanded from Oregon to New York City.
The Chos launched AAPI Food & Wine in 2023 after conversations about pairing their CHO Wines with Korean food led them to consider the limited visibility of Asian American wine producers. The first festival brought together 12 Portland chefs and five AAPI-owned Willamette Valley wineries. Lois Cho told VinePair that about 1,000 people attended and the event sold out.
Since then, the organization has held three annual walkaround festivals in Oregon, where vendors offer samples and attendees can meet participating food and wine businesses. In March 2026, it held a three-day event in New York City, marking its East Coast expansion. VinePair reported that the festivals have been near or total sell-outs; it did not provide ticket figures or a full attendance breakdown for each event.
The nonprofit’s work is now managed with support from board members, including secretary and volunteer director Sylvia Choi and vendor relations and events director Jane Barmore. Its participants have included Oregon wineries Hundred Suns Wine and Et Fille Wines, Portland restaurants Sun Rice and Matta, and, in New York, Korean restaurant Atoboy. VinePair also cited collaborations with winemaker Sashi Moorman of Evening Land Vineyards and JinJu Patisserie bakers Jin Caldwell and Kyurim “Q” Lee.
A Platform for AAPI Food and Wine
The award recognizes a project addressing the visibility of AAPI-owned businesses across food and wine. The festival gives chefs, winemakers and other participants a shared setting to present their work and connect with customers. Its growth also shows that demand for events pairing AAPI cuisine with wine is not limited to the organization’s original Oregon base.
For readers and industry members, the development matters as a sign of how an event founded by two winery owners has become a wider platform for producers and hospitality businesses. The Chos’ stated aim is to give Asian American-made wine attention alongside the food traditions it can accompany. The award is recognition from VinePair, not independent evidence that the festival has changed industry-wide representation or business outcomes.
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From a Willamette Valley Potluck
The project began with a question Lois and Dave Cho repeatedly heard about their wine: what shaped their palate? Their answer involved Korean food they had grown up eating and their hope that CHO Wines would work well with that cuisine. The idea of a potluck for AAPI community members in the Willamette Valley developed into a public festival.
Lois Cho told VinePair the inaugural event came together within weeks, but the response felt significant to her. She recalled attendees becoming emotional and said, “I knew it was going to be a kick-ass party, but I didn’t realize that it was going to be so emotional.” She also described a broader shift in how younger generations express their heritage through food and wine, saying, “This new generation is now really coming more into the spotlight.” Those comments describe the founders’ experience and perspective, rather than a measured assessment of the wider 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, quoted by VinePair
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Expansion Plans Are Not Set
VinePair reported that AAPI Food & Wine is discussing events in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin. The report does not identify confirmed venues, dates, budgets or partners for any of those cities, so they should be treated as possibilities rather than scheduled festivals.
The source also does not provide audited attendance, revenue, funding or participant figures across all events, nor does it detail the award’s selection process. It reports that the festivals have been near or total sell-outs and describes the organization’s growth, but the longer-term effect on participating businesses and representation in the wine industry remains unclear.
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More Cities Under Discussion
The next reported step is continued planning for possible events beyond Oregon and New York. Cho said the organization was receiving requests and was in discussions about several U.S. cities, but AAPI Food & Wine has not, in the source report, announced a schedule for them.
Cho also said she wants future festivals to include more chefs outside established culinary circles, including up-and-coming cooks, small restaurants and food-cart operators. Whether and where that effort will appear next depends on plans the nonprofit has yet to confirm.
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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.
Who founded AAPI Food & Wine?
Oregon winemakers Lois and Dave Cho, founders of CHO Wines, launched the organization in 2023.
Where has the festival taken place?
The organization has held three annual festivals in Oregon and expanded to a three-day event in New York City in March 2026, according to VinePair.
Are more festival locations confirmed?
No future locations are confirmed in the report. Lois Cho said the organization was discussing possible events in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and possibly Austin.
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