The Chinatown Partnership, the nonprofit that works on the neighborhood's streets, events and small businesses, is turning 20, and it has named the four people and organizations it will honor to mark the year. The list, posted by the group this month, takes in a community leader who pushed for trees on the Bowery, a noodle maker that started in Chinatown in 1973, the Doyers Street wine bar that won this year's top national prize for a new restaurant, and a bar association with roots in the neighborhood's legal community.

The honors will be presented on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at a gala at 100 Feast & Lounge, held jointly by the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation and the Chinatown Business Improvement District under the theme The Light We Carry Together.

The four honorees

Legacy Award: David J. Louie Sr. A U.S. Army veteran, insurance professional and longtime civic volunteer, Louie is described by the Partnership as one of the people who helped set up the Chinatown Business Improvement District. Among the causes he took on: safety gear for the bicycle delivery workers who move through the neighborhood every day, and pedestrian medians on the Bowery along with roughly 18 street trees. He also serves with the Lions Club of Chinatown.

Momentum Award: Wonton Food Inc. The family-owned company began in Chinatown in 1973 as a small noodle maker. It now produces noodles, wrappers, crispy noodles, fortune cookies and other foods for stores and restaurants across the country, with plants in New York, Texas and Tennessee. Its products are sold under the Golden Bowl brand.

Trailblazer Award: Lei. The wine bar on Doyers Street, owned by Annie Shi, pairs a long wine list with dishes drawn from regional Chinese home cooking. In June it won the 2026 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. The Partnership notes that the bar's story is tied to the owner's family and to Chinatown itself.

Advocacy Award: Asian American Bar Association of New York. Known as AABANY, the group traces its start to 1988 hearings held by the New York State Judicial Commission on Minorities and was incorporated the following year. It works to advance Asian American and Pacific Islander lawyers and the fair administration of justice, and it now counts more than 1,800 members.

Twenty years on the street

For residents, the Partnership and the BID are the groups behind many of the things that happen on Chinatown's sidewalks: the Mid-Autumn community table on Mott Street, Senior Appreciation Day on Pell Street earlier this month, and this Saturday's Trick-or-Streets on Mott Street between Canal and Bayard Streets, from 3 to 7 p.m. The 20th anniversary gala is the group's main fundraiser of the year.

Taken together, the four honorees cover a lot of Chinatown's story: a resident who spent years on street safety and greening, a manufacturer that grew from a Chinatown storefront into a national supplier, a young business that brought a national award back to a one-block lane, and a professional group that grew out of the community's push for fair treatment in the courts.

How to attend or support

Tickets and sponsorships for the Nov. 17 gala are sold through the Partnership's ticketing page, linked from its gala announcement on chinatown.nyc. The group has not posted a start time or ticket price on its site; questions go to info@chinatownpartnership.org or 212-346-9288.

The closest subway stops to the heart of Chinatown are Canal St (J, Z, N, Q, R, W and 6 trains), Grand St (B and D trains) and East Broadway (F train).

Sources