By Lena Brooks Entertainment Editor
Actor, comedian and rapper Awkwafina premiered the eight-episode docuseries Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook on Apple TV after starting the project with zero prior culinary experience. Known for her roles in Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell, Nora Lum uses her real name for the series to follow her journey from total kitchen ignorance to hosting a one-night pop-up restaurant, all while exploring her family’s historic restaurant legacy.
Awkwafina Traces Cantonese Roots
Her great-grandfather Jimmy founded the famous Cantonese restaurant Lum’s in Flushing, Queens, in the 1950s, according to The Guardian. The establishment operated for decades before closing, and was run by her family, including her father and the grandmother who helped raise her after her mother died when she was four years old.
Executive producer David Brindley noted that the show was initially pitched as an exploration of Asian-American food before evolving into a more personal undertaking. Throughout the series, Awkwafina travels across the United States to study under professional chefs, learning techniques ranging from making bulgogi sausages in Fredericksburg and a pupu platter in Hawaii to preparing Peking duck with Brandon Jew at Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco and jointing chicken with 1980s celebrity chef Martin Yan.
Chef Trains Awkwafina for Pop-Up
According to The National Herald, her early culinary attempts marked a change for someone who previously viewed soup as nothing more than a “hot liquid.” Along the way, she takes a crash course at the Culinary Institute of America, explores Texas barbecue with comedian Jimmy O. Yang, works in a restaurant kitchen in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, and collaborates with celebrated chef Roy Choi.
The journey culminates in an opening night for a one-night pop-up restaurant designed to honor her family’s heritage and the experiences of Cantonese, Korean, and other immigrants who shaped American dining. While the series explores the possibility of reviving Lum’s, Apple TV has not announced a permanent reopening plan for the family restaurant.
Grandmother Shapes Final Project
Awkwafina’s 91-year-old grandmother, Powah Lum, served as a hard taskmaster and offered direct menu suggestions. During a television appearance, Awkwafina described the show as a tribute to her relatives, noting that the filming process brought her grandmother immense joy in her final months. Powah Lum passed away in August at the age of 92, between the time the series was filmed and its release, making the finished project even more emotional for the family and drawing praise from VIP guests in attendance at the pop-up event, including Roy Choi.
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