Join us for the

Southeast Asian Food Symposium 2026

April 10 - 11, 2026 | FREE
Downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan

Welcome to a celebration of the food culture of Southeast Asia, in Michigan! The Kalamazoo Valley Foodways Symposium is an annual two-day event bringing the greater Kalamazoo community together for a weekend of exploration, learning and fun to honor its agricultural history and heritage cuisines, celebrate good food and work collectively to build a just and healthy future for all.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

Kalamazoo Valley Museum
230 N. Rose St. | Downtown Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo Seed Collaborative Seed Share & Southeast Asian appetizers

6 - 7 p.m. | Friday

The Kalamazoo Seed Collaborative encourages the Kalamazoo community to grow with free seeds and seed stories. As the warmth of the sun and spring rains awaken the soil, we invite you to join us as we continue to grow our ability to care for the Earth and each other.

Keynote Panel: “Beyond Authentic? Rethinking Tradition, Innovation, and Belonging in Southeast Asian Foodways.”

7 - 8 p.m. | Friday

Chef Abang Brian — culinary educator, award-winning author and host of “The Hungry Immigrant” — leads a powerful conversation with Southeast Asian chefs, growers and community storytellers. Together, they unpack how heritage cuisines evolve in American kitchens, how migration and adaptation shape taste, and how communities preserve cultural meaning even as recipes change.

Keynote Information

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building
418 E. Walnut St. | Downtown Kalamazoo

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Join us for a day of culinary exploration, discussions, music and art from the Southeast Asian diaspora. Interactive cooking demos, cooking classes as well as youth activities, community organizations showcase, building tours and a brewery open house will be available throughout the day. Lunch will be available for purchase at the Havermill Café. All are welcome!

Activities

Workshops for young and old, cooking demos, tours, and more!

Food & Exhibitors

Participants in this year’s events.

The Kalamazoo Valley Foodways Symposium provides historical, cultural and practical insights into the region’s food and food systems, and equally important, serves as a yearly convening point for students, practitioners and the community to come together to ensure our local food system remains strong and vibrant.

The event is made possible in part by a grant from the KVCC Foundation.