In addition to overseeing Joseph Poon Asian Fusion Restaurant, a top rated Philadelphia restaurant, Chef Poon conducts Wok ‘N Walk Tours of Philadelphia Chinatown, teaches cooking classes, leads trips to China and participates in dozens of philanthropic events each year.

Chef Poon received culinary accolades when he was selected to prepare the Chinese New Year Banquet for the James Beard Foundation in New York City in 2002. An article in The James Beard Foundation newsletter stated, “The story of how Philadelphia Chef Joseph Poon got to where he is today could be the script of a Hollywood movie.” He recently won first place in the Wilma Theater’s Sculptural Dessert Competition.

Chef Poon’s popular “ Wok ‘N Walk Tours of Philadelphia Chinatown” was called one of the best culinary tours in the country by TV Food Network’s “The Best Of…” and featured in the Spring 2002 issue of Group Tour Magazine. The tour is designed to teach people about his community. He offers the 2-1/2 hour walking tour, by appointment, and includes lunch or dinner, a Tai Chi demonstration, a tour of a state-of-the-art Chinese kitchen and a Chinese vegetable carving lesson, as well as a 2-hour tour of the community with stops at a fortune cookie factory, a Chinese herb store, an Asian bakery, an Asian grocery store and fish market and more. The tour is popular with bus groups, adult education schools, scout troops, school children, senior centers and individuals interested in getting an insider’s look at one of Philadelphia’s most vibrant ethnic communities.

Chef Poon spends a significant amount of his time actively pursuing opportunities to give back to the community through charity and volunteer work. He recently received four awards recognizing his philanthropic involvements. After 9/11, he spent two days in New York City cooking for the rescue workers on “The Spirit of New York.” In addition, he translates legal documents for new immigrants, judges speech competitions, tests water for the EPA, teaches cooking classes to disadvantaged youth and helps out the local elderly.

His exuberant personality has won Chef Poon appearances on national television shows including “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” PBS-TV’s cooking show “Christina Cooks,” as well as “The Makeover Story” and “The Dating Story” on the Learning Channel and “Home Matters” on the Discovery Channel. He has also been featured in national and local publications and works closely with the New Tang Dynasty Television, an independent, not-for-profit public service television broadcaster serving the Chinese community across North America, to promote Philadelphia Chinatown and Asian culture.

He was recently honored at a fundraiser at his alma mater, State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oneonta. The funds raised will support The Joseph K. Poon Scholarship Fund, which he created to allow undergraduate human ecology students to travel abroad. He currently serves on the advisory board for the food service and nutrition department at the University. Later this year, he will serve as Visiting Chef at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. He has served as Chef-in-Residence at Northampton Community College, and as guest chef at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the State University of New York Cobleskill. Chef Poon has served on the Culinary Arts Advisory Board for The Art Institute of Philadelphia and as an adjunct professor for The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.

Chef Poon has served as Chef Consultant and National Culinary Spokesperson for the National Watermelon Promotion Board and as an expert witness and food consultant for Cleary & Josem LLP, attorneys at law.

Learn more about Chef Poon and his restaurant at http://www.josephpoon.com.

Chef Poon's Tips and Techniques.