May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! To celebrate, the Asian American Resource Center (AARC) is proud to present its fifth annual food and heritage festival, “CelebrASIA Austin: Five Years, Five Spices” on Saturday, May 12 from 11am to 4pm. This event is free and open to the public. 

In honor of the five year anniversary of the AARC, our theme is Five Spices. Combinations of five are common in many Asian cuisines, making an endless number and variety of spice mixtures. These different spices can complement or subtly contrast each other, leading to the richness and complex flavor palettes within every dish.

CelebrASIA Austin highlights the growing Asian Pacific American population, which is the fastest growing demographic in Central Texas and constitutes nearly 8 percent of Austin’s population.

FOOD DEMONSTRATIONS AND VENDORS
At CelebrASIA this year, our culinary chefs and vendors will provide their own interpretation on how different spices can combine to make unforgettable food. Participating local Asian Pacific American restaurants include:

Atia’s Kitchen (Pakistani) 
Jenna’s Asian Kitchen (Pan Asian) 
Mom’s Taste (Korean) 
Tito Adobo (Filipino) 
SnoMo (Taiwanese) 
Asahi (Japanese)

Join us in our ballroom for culinary demonstrations utilizing a variety of spices! Suzan Saltik of Turkish Raindrop House will be sharing how to make her fragrant Ottoman Rice. 

KIDS ACTIVITIES
All ages are welcome to enjoy several arts and crafts activities and games at CelebrASIA. Activities include: 
Painting with spices
Grind your own spices
Windmill Making
Screen printing
Jumbo Checkers and Ring Toss
Moon bounce, and more!

CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
The AARC is proud to welcome Hema Mullur as the emcee for our Outdoor Cultural Performance stage. This year, the following groups and organizations will be sharing their talents with our community: 

Lee Young Korean Traditional Dance
Myanmar Culture Group
Austin Chinese Music and Dance Group
Kyong-Cha Park Austin Korean Traditional Dance Team /KAAGA
Hawaiian Kona Isle
Baby's Breath Dancing Group
Austin Ismaili Matki Band
Liao Tai-Chi Academy
Holy Vietnamese Martyr Catholic Church
Austin Japanese Minyo Group
Rumah Budaya Indonesia in Austin
Austin Moonflower Performing Arts Group
Austin Filipino American Association (AFAA) Dance Troupe
Monsoon Dance
Hawaiian Hula Halau Kaeepa
Indonesia Pertiwi Dance Group
Austin Taiwanese Association
Siva Ori Polynesia


COUNTRY EXPERIENCE ROOMS
Visitors can explore the indoor Cultural Experience Rooms, presented by local community organizations, featuring activities, clothing, décor, and artifacts from various regions of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Austin Japanese Minyo Group
KAAGA (Korean American Association of Greater Austin)
Myanmar Country Experience Room
CSA (Chinese Society of Austin)
Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN) Austin
Austin Filipino American Association (AFAA)
IACT (Indian American Coalition of Texas)
Austin Chapter of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce with support from Austin Taiwanese Professional Association
Austin Iranian Professionals Association

COMMUNITY OUTREACH FAIR
Learn more about the following local service organizations at the Community Outreach Fair:

Asian American Resource Center Nonprofit
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA)
Asian American Quality of Life Commission
Austin Public Health
Austin Asian American Film Festival
Austin Chinese American Network (ACAN)
Austin Coolers Dragon Boat Team
Austin Fire Department
Austin Resource Recovery
Central Health
City of Austin Human Resources Department
Austin Energy: Customer Assistance Program
Cooking Up Cultures
Foundation Communities
GirlForward
Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce
Hindu Charities for America
Immigrants Helping Austin Youth (IDEAYA)
Indie meme
Integral Care
Lone Star Circle of Care
Lucky Chaos
Senior Access
Think Bilingual
United Way for Greater Austin
Vietnamese American Community in Austin Texas (VACAT) [Outdoors]

PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION
No on-site parking will be available. For alternative parking and transportation options, the AARC is partnering with Cap Metro to provide Park and Ride service with free Cap Metro Day passes on bus route #325-Ohlen from Dobie Middle School (1200 E Rundberg Ln, 78753). Direct shuttle service from KIPP Austin Collegiate (8004 Cameron Rd, 78754) will also be available.

CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information about the event, visit our website at austintexas.gov/aarc, email us at aarc@austintexas.gov, or call our main line at 512-974-1700.

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