Tampa Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival comes to Tampa

by: Gayle Guyardo

Posted: May 11, 2023 / 10:59 AM EDT

Updated: May 11, 2023 / 11:17 AM EDT

The City of Tampa Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival is happening on May 13, 2023 from 10 am to 6 pm in downtown Tampa at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.The festival will honor Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month. The event will showcase beautiful cultural performances from various Asian countries and islands of the Pacific, delicious food, authentic API merchandise and informational exhibits. Joey Omila the Entertainment Coordinator and Spoke person for the 2023 City of Tampa Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival and Chef Stephanie Cooper the owner of Makanalani's Hawaiian Fusion, joined Gayle Guyardo the host of the global health and wellness show Bloom to what people can expect at the festival.Chef Stephanie Cooper shared her Jackfruit Crab Cakes recipe she's serving up at the festival with Bloom viewers.Jackfruit Crab Cakes:Ingredients● Jackfruit or Heart of Palm (20oz)● Onion (¼ of onion)● Garlic (6 cloves)● GF bread crumbs (1 cup)● Paprika(2tsp)● Cayanne (1tsp)● Onion powder (1tbsp)● Garlic powder (1tbsp)● Vegan mayo (2tbsp)● Vegan butter (2tbsp for caramelizinganother Tbsp for grilling)Preparation1. Shread the jackfruit/fruit of Palm withforks or blend lightly to have crab likeconsistency.2. Put minced onions, chopped garlic, andvegan butter into a pan. Carmalize.3. Add Protien, spices (paprika, cayanne,onion powder, garlic powder), GF breadcrumbs, squirt of vegan mayo, andcarmelized onions and garlic. Mixtogether.4. Use measuring cup ¼ to mold crab cake.5. Place butter on the pan, add crab cake,place small amount of butter on top ofcrab cake to soak in. Cook until there is acrisp edge.AssembleGrill pineapple rings for colorBLOOM is Tampa Bay's only daily 1-hour TV show focusing on health & lifestyle.You can watch weekdays at 2:00pm only on WFLA News Channel 8 — with an encore broadcast late night 3:00am. Tune into BLOOM and watch your life grow!Bloom is also part of DBTV Network Seen In Over 300 Million Households worldwide, including Roku TV, and Amazon Fire. The health and lifestyle show also airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.