Esther Choi is an influential Chef driven by her Korean roots and is chef/owner of mŏkbar and mŏkbar Brooklyn, as well as chef/partner of Ms. Yoo. Inspired by the age-old technique of her Korean grandmother’s cooking, Chef Esther believes that food is the ultimate expression of a country’s culture. With a personal passion for introducing New Yorkers to the flavors of Korean culture, Chef Esther’s cooking combines traditional and modern influences with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Esther began her professional education at the early age of 14. Her formal training as a chef began at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), followed by various positions at New York City’s renowned ilili and La Esquina, as well as that of the Food Network. Esther was the host of Eater’s video series “Kitchen Gadgets”, where she channeled her cooking prowess and demonstrated compelling Korean dishes and flavors, garnering over 50 million views. She has appeared in numerous Food Network shows such as co-hosting “Beat Bobby Flay” a judge on “Chopped” as well as the show “Money Hungry” and “Throwdown with Michael Symon”. She guest-starred in HBO’s “Selena + Chef” alongside Selena Gomez.

Esther was named a “Zagat 30 under 30” in 2015 and NYC Culinary Rockstar. Her praised restaurant, mŏkbar was acclaimed as the Village Voice’s 2014 Reader’s Choice “Best New Restaurant” and was awarded “Best Kimchi” in 2015 by Epoch Taste. Among her other enterprises, Zagat declared Ms. Yoo as one of the city’s hottest new restaurants, while Thrillist dubbed it the best place to eat during a Lower East Side bar crawl.

In 2020-21, Esther was a host and producer of two podcasts. iHeartRadio’s ‘Get down w/Ktown’, where she dives into the rich world of Korean-American culture. And the Food52 Podcast Network “Hot Offline”, a call-in show where she tackles burning questions for home cooks.

Her newest Mokbar opened in Midtown Manhattan in the Fall of 2021, and has two more locations on the way scheduled to open in 2022.

Council Member Linda Lee represents the 23rd Council District in Eastern Queens and serves as Chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Addictions, and Disabilities. She was elected to the Council in November 2021, becoming the first Korean-American ever elected to the City Council, and the first woman to hold the seat.

Prior to taking office, Linda was the President/CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS) of Metropolitan New York, Inc., New York’s first community-based social service organization focused on the Korean community. KCS’s mission is to be a bridge for Korean immigrants and the wider Asian community to fully integrate into society and overcome any economic, health and social barriers to becoming independent and thriving members of the community. KCS serves over 1,300 members daily through culturally competent programs in the areas of Aging, Education, Immigration, Workforce Development, Public Health, and Mental Health. KCS has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic helping members receive unemployment benefits, PPP loans, COVID tests, and vaccinations. Under Linda’s leadership, the Obama White House named KCS as a Champion of Change in 2014 for its work around the Affordable Care Act. Linda also spearheaded the creation of the only State-licensed Article 31 Mental Health Clinic serving the Korean-American community operating in New York.

Prior to working at KCS, Ms. Lee worked in operations and administration for the New York State Health Foundation and as a social work intern in the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System. She received her Master of Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College. Linda is passionate about improving social service delivery for at-risk populations, improving healthcare and mental health access to New Yorkers, and promoting the wellbeing of seniors to a top priority in New York City.

Linda serves on the leadership team at New Vision Covenant Church, as a National Advisory Committee member of NYU’s Center for the Study of Asian American Health, and on the School Leadership Team at her son Drew’s school PS 203. She previously served on Community Board 11 in Queens, as a Commissioner of the New York City Civic Engagement Commission, and as board member for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City.

Linda, a lifelong New Yorker, lives in Oakland Gardens with her husband Jie and her two sons.

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re active in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

About Kathleen:
Kathleen Kim is a NYC-based performer and puppeteer who has been a Muppet performer with Sesame Street since 2015. In 2021, she took on the role of Ji-Young, Sesame Street’s first Asian-American Muppet in its 50+ year run. Some of Kim’s other credits include Helpsters on Apple TV+, SNL, the Today Show, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens as Toe-Knee and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

About Ji-Young:
Ji-Young is a sweet and adventurous seven-year-old girl who lives with her family on Sesame Street with her family. She loves to rock out on her electric guitar and she’s learning to skateboard. She’s proud of her Korean American heritage and loves to share her family’s foods and traditions with her Sesame Street friends.

Vivian Lee is a freelance writer, director, producer and moderator after a 25 year career as a TV journalist in the US and Canada.

She was most recently an Emmy-winning TV anchor, reporter and host for NY1, working at the 24/7 local news outlet from 2008 to 2020. During that time she anchored NY1’s weekend news hours, covering issues of vital local and national interest, including the coronavirus pandemic throughout 2020, and President Joe Biden’s election win in November 2020. She began at NY1 as the weekend anchor and breaking news reporter.

She was part of the anchor line-up for Pope Francis’ historic visit to the US, and reported on Hurricane Sandy in from Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens in 2012. She was also the first local NYC reporter to break news of Francis’ election as pope from Vatican City in March 2013.

Vivian also hosted an arts and culture show, Spotlight New York, focusing on the arts and culture landscape of the five boroughs of NYC.

Vivian’s career in New York started at WNBC in 2002, where she was a general assignment reporter. Before that she was CityTV Toronto’s Parliamentary Correspondent in Canada’s capital, Ottawa and a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor on CityTV and its sister cable channel, CP24.

Her stints as a reporter ranged from CJOH TV in Ottawa, ATV-ASN News in Halifax, and A Channel in Calgary, where she also anchored the award-winning weeknight evening news show “A Channel News@Night.”

Vivian has received numerous awards recognizing her industry and community contributions, including the 2021 “Pillars of Courage” award with four of her former NY1 colleagues from the New York Women’s Foundation; a 2020 Emmy for her work on Spotlight New York in New York; and the 2019 Lifetime Engagement Award from the Korean American Family Service Center in New York. She serves as a board member of KoreanAmericanStory.org.

She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.

Paul Song is Director of Trusts and Estates at Bonhams Auctioneers in Los Angeles.

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the Art Auction Business, Song joined Bonhams in 2009.  As an expert and licensed auctioneer, Song is instrumental in business development across categories, and is a frequent speaker in trade conferences and other professional venues.  Throughout his career Song has handled over $330 million worth of property through auctions internationally.  As well, Song is a frequent benefit auctioneer and fundraiser, contributing his time to dozens of organizations in LA, SF, and NY.

Song holds an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Management in International Finance and Marketing, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.   Mr. Song is an experienced licensed Auctioneer, and Director/Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the fine art industry, skilled in Marketing Management, Digital Strategy, Negotiation, Luxury Goods, and E-commerce. Song and his family currently reside in Los Angeles.

Multi-faceted artist AUDREY NUNA emerged on the scene in the late 2010s with a few tracks on Soundcloud. Following the release of “Souffle,” her soulful label debut single “Time” garnered attention from tastemakers such as New York Times, NPR, and Vogue. Genre-bending songs like “Comic Sans” and “damn Right” have amassed a loyal and dedicated fanbase. In May of 2021, NUNA released her debut album, a liquid breakfast paired with surreal and odd music videos. A visual artist herself, NUNA creative-directs and styles many of her own videos, while also collaborating on creative campaigns for brands such as Acne Studios and Calvin Klein. Fans can catch Audrey at festivals throughout this summer in anticipation of her sophomore album, due to release Fall 2022.