CLEVELAND — For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 3News is continuing to celebrate Asian businesses, communities, and individuals here in Northeast Ohio. What better place to spotlight than Cleveland’s AsiaTown neighborhood? It's a community that already has a lot to offer – but also has big plans.
AsiaTown is a neighborhood rich in culture, and of course, cuisine.
One popular recent addition to the food scene here is Ball Ball Waffle. Owner Aldous Lau brought his popular bubble waffle concept to the area when he moved to Northeast Ohio from Hong Kong in 2017.
"I wanted to bring some traditional food, some culture in this area," Lau said. "For many people, they know what is a Hong Kong street snack, at least this kind of food, the bubble waffle."
Ball Ball Waffle's storefront is in Asia Plaza and is quickly becoming a popular stop for residents and visitors alike. Try one, and you'll see why.
Lau got his start as a vendor at the Cleveland Asian Festival in 2018. The weekend-long annual event is one way AsiaTown businesses can share their culture, goods, and food with a wider audience. At the heart of the festival is Lisa Wong, the event's co-founder and co-producer.
"It's important to showcase the Asian culture in the Greater Cleveland area," Wong told 3News, "because not many people realize that there is an AsiaTown community here in Cleveland."
After the pandemic cancelled the festival in 2020 and a brought out a virtual event last year, the festival is back in-person this year. Wong says it's a way to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage while also inviting others to learn something new.
"I'm so honored to be able to bring and showcase entertainment," food and culture to the community," Wong added. "I think it helps people to appreciate understand other cultures different from their own."
Wong tells us surveys from past festivals show about a fourth of attendees had never been to AsiaTown before, but there's so much to explore here – more than 20 restaurants, a dozen cultural shops, and five Asian grocery stores.
"AsiaTown really represents this cultural beacon for Asians and Asian Amerians and Pacific Islanders all around the region," Karis Tzeng, Director of AsiaTown Initiatives at Midtown Cleveland, said. "It's the only place like it in Ohio."
The future of AsiaTown is bright – the community, anchored largely around Payne Avenue, is undergoing new projects. Tzeng says the community vision is wrapped up in the phrase "Growing home."
"The spirit of welcoming is so important to our experience as humans and feeling welcome in a place," she explained. "I think AsiaTown can offer that both to folks who are Asian and, our hope is, it can grow to feel welcoming to anybody."
While honoring tradition, AsiaTown business owners are also looking to the future. Sheng Long Yu, owner of Dagu Rice Noodle, is expanding his menu and dining options in AsiaTown. He's creating a 10,000-square-foot food hall on the corner of 30th and Payne, moving Dagu into the new space, and offering up the latest trends in Asian cuisine.
"Every time I go to some bigger city, let's say Chicago or New York or LA, there's always something new and exciting," he said. "That's part of the idea, we want to bring in all the newer food trends to Cleveland so we don't have to travel all over the world for it."
From baos, to dumplings, to skewers, Yu hopes the space will be a place for shared meals and memories. One that will encourage out of towners (and Cleveland natives) to stop by and discover all that AsiaTown has to offer. Currently in the permitting phase, Yu is hoping the new Hall will be open by the Holidays.
"I feel this is something that's very important to me and my family and all my partners to contribute back to the Asian community."
The Cleveland Asian Festival is May 21 and 22 this year, and you can find more information here.