SITE Santa Fe’s Digest This! is an interdisciplinary series of public programs pairing “bite-sized” talks with a tasting prepared by a local chef. 2020 Digest This! programs invite local experts and innovative chefs to explore the immigrant or refugee experience through their own lives and/or the work they do in our community. Relating to the exhibition, Displaced: Contemporary Artists Confront the Global Refugee Crisis, Digest This! is made possible in part by the New Mexico Humanities Council.

Usually these sold-out events take place in our auditorium, but now that we are all at home, we are adapting our programs and working with our presenters to bring their stories to you digitally. In Digest This! Lost, Found, Reimagining, Hue-Chan Karels has developed a digital cooking class speaking to her experience of immigration and diaspora, and reconnecting with cultural identity through food.

Born in Da Nang, the largest city of Central Vietnam, Hue-Chan Karels, Chef-Owner of Open Kitchen, and her family settled in the U.S. as refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam war in 1975. Hue-Chan will take you on a culinary journey of flavors and techniques that make up Vietnamese cuisine. She will share recipes and stories that bring Vietnamese food to life on your plate. In addition to learning about the balancing and health benefits of essential ingredients, and the fundamentals of food preparation and presentation, participants can experience a glimpse of Vietnamese history and culture. Hue-Chan Karels will be preparing “Bánh Cuốn”– Vietnamese Steamed Rice Crêpes filled with Ground Pork and Shiitake Mushroom, served Nước Chấm, Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, and Bean Sprouts and Fresh Herbs. This dish is significant to her as this was the last dish her family feasted on as we departed Vietnam on April 23, 1975 – a week before Saigon fell.