ABOUT

AAPI Food & Wine is a 501(c)6 nonprofit founded in 2023 to elevate Asian American and Pacific Islander voices in the food and wine industry. Its mission is to celebrate AAPI talent, promote diversity, and build community through inclusive events and storytelling. Based in Oregon, it hosts the annual AAPI Food & Wine Fests in McMinnville and New York City.

AAPI Food & Wine was created to address the lack of visibility, access, and representation of AAPI wine professionals. The organization fosters connection one bite, one sip, and one conversation at a time. Through experiences like the annual AAPI Food & Wine Fest and upcoming NYC events, it connects chefs, winemakers, sommeliers, and cultural leaders in spaces of collaboration and celebration.

Two smiling people, a man and a woman, pose together at a food and wine event booth with a vineyard backdrop.
Group of smiling people wearing matching blue t-shirts with the logo 'AAPI Food & Win', posing together indoors for a photo.

Our Story

AAPI Food & Wine was founded by Lois Cho, CEO and co-founder of CHO Wines in Hillsboro, Oregon. After a decade as a family nurse practitioner, Lois transitioned full-time to the wine industry in 2022, wearing every hat from content creator to event producer while helping build a winery, tasting room, production facility, and vineyard alongside her husband Dave and their three young children.

In 2023, Lois created AAPI Food & Wine to shine a light on AAPI representation in the food and beverage industry. To create spaces where people could feel they truly belong. The response has been profound. At the festivals, the same words are heard again and again: gratitude, community, belonging.

“By bringing together winemakers, sommeliers, chefs, and curious drinkers, we strengthen the chain that connects vineyard to bottle, bottle to glass, and glass to community.”

~ Lois Cho | Founder of AAPI Food & Wine Fest

Three women smiling at a gathering outdoors, one holding a bouquet of flowers, another holding a glass of wine, and the third holding a bottle of champagne, with a scenic green landscape in the background.
Skewers of grilled seafood, possibly scallops, cooking on a barbecue grill.
Three people standing behind a table holding bottles of wine and smiling at the camera, with wine club signs on the table.
Three people laughing and talking at a table with stacks of wooden plates, in a greenhouse or garden setting.
Group of five smiling volunteers wearing blue t-shirts with 'AAPI Food & Wine' logo, standing together at an event, wearing name tags and purple lanyards.
A smiling woman with long hair wearing a blue jacket and name badge interacts with a man wearing a gray beanie and black jacket at an outdoor event under a large tent. The woman is handing the man a small object, and there are bottles and a flower ar

Board Members

  • Lois Cho Photo

    Lois Cho

    Founder and Executive Director

    After a decade as a family nurse practitioner, Lois became CEO of CHO Wines in 2022, doing everything from content creation to event production while building a winery and raising three kids. She founded AAPI Food & Wine to create spaces where people walk into wineries and finally feel at home, and believes the best wine moments happen when gratitude, community, and belonging pour into the same glass.

  • Joshua Chang Headshot

    Joshua Chang

    Talent Recruitment and Marketing

  • Kenzie Bindrup Headshot

    Kenzie Bindrup

    Treasurer and manages Event Logistics

    Born in Portland, Oregon & grew up for the first few years in the Dundee Hills before her family moved to Northern Utah. 8 years ago, she made the move back to her Portland roots & fully integrated herself in the small business community by helping grow brands through social media, marketing and events.

  • Kristy Nguyen headshot

    Kristy Nguyen

    Communications and Sponsorships

    Kristy came to Portland, Oregon, for continuing education and work, and stayed for the standout culinary scene.  As a food and wine enthusiast who believes in living abundantly, she is often ordering ‘one of everything’ on the food menu (@tokipdx, one of her favorite menus) while enjoying a glass of a big bold red.

  • Sylvia Choi headshot

    Sylvia Choi

    Secretary and Volunteer Director

    Born and raised in Oregon, she spent a few years in Los Angeles for college + her first job in entertainment before returning home. Coming back to Portland as a young adult, she discovered the city’s fantastic happy hours. She will never pass down a noodle dish. Team savory all the way! And she considers food a love language! She is excited to see so many new restaurants, especially AAPI restaurants, moving into Beaverton, Oregon.