Ep. 61: Autumn Moon Festival: Celebrating Asian Cultures

So Much More, A Mall of America® Podcast

This Saturday, September 14, the Alliance of Minnesota Chinese Organizations (AMCO), along with the Minnesota Chinese Community and local ethnic communities, will come together to celebrate the Moon Festival at Mall of America®.

AMCO MC, Xiaoyan Luo, visits with Jill and Dan to share how this celebration comes to life with festive cultural performances by art troupes from local Chinese, Hmong, Laotian + Vietnamese communities. Describing how the rotunda is transformed with giant hanging lanterns and colorful décor, she says she is so proud to be a part of this event and what it means to her culture and community.

Joining Luo is Trisha Seng, who recently opened Treats Cereal Bar + Boba Tea at Mall of America. Seng shares her journey to becoming an entrepreneur and business owner with her brother and how important it is for her to bring the nostalgia of growing up drinking tea every day to the community here, as well as share the nostalgia and tastes from home.

Episode highlights include:

3:40: Description of Moon Festival Celebration
4:30: Why this celebration is important and how Xiaoyan Luo got involved and why
8:50: Trisha Seng talks about her journey opening up Treats Cereal Bar + Boba
11:20: Why Cereal Treats & Boba Tea combined together in one store?
16:00: Trisha talks about what it’s like being a small business owner/entrepreneur at MOA
19:24: Other Asian influenced brands at MOA: Ebisu, Ichido Ramen, Master Noodle, Kura Sushi, Beard Papas
20:20: What is the Moon Festival and how they compare it to American’s Thanksgiving

To learn more about the Moon Festival visit: https://www.mallofamerica.com/events/view/33653

Treats Cereal Bar + Boba is located at 372 East Broadway, Mall of America.

Guest: Xiaoyan Luo, MC for AMCO The Alliance of Minnesota Chinese Organizations, and Trisha Seng, owner of Treats Cereal Bar & Boba Tea

Host: Jill Renslow

Co-Host: Dan Jasper

Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.