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For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our team selected 15 New York based AAPI founders, creatives and activists that we admire.
Each a part of the Asian diaspora, with roots in Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, China, and Pakistan, they are celebrating their culture through food and the arts, making history as firsts, centering queer and marginalized groups, and adding to the rich tapestry of New York City.
Take a moment to get to know them and support their work.
Sen Saigon is a plant-based Vietnamese restaurant built on the belief that vegan food can be just as rich, comforting, and deeply flavorful as traditional dishes. Every broth, sauce, and topping is crafted from vegetables, herbs, and time-honored techniques. No shortcuts, just real cooking. Rooted in family recipes and reimagined for today, Sen Saigon brings Vietnamese flavors to a wider audience and invites vegans and non-vegans to the table. It’s a place where everyone feels at home.
Location: 150 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
@sensaigon.nyc | sensaigon.com
misomomo is a NYC-based, queer Korean-American owned shop selling pronoun pins and other small tokens of queer cheer. misomomo is a one-person passion project born from a desire to make art that resonates with and uplifts queer and AAPI communities.
Chôm's Nước Chấm is a Vietnamese dipping and pour over fish sauce that is used in a variety of dishes. The sauce is born out of Cindy's love for their food, culture, family, and heritage. During a time of turmoil and uncertainty, Cindy aims to create a space where people can feel safe, joyful, and enjoy delicious food.
Cake Is a Lie Tattoo is a NYC based, nerd-focused, community driven tattoo shop that features majority queer and femme artists. Cake features artists in various nerdy subjects including anime, video games, ttrpgs, and fantasy media content. Established by the passion for gaming and community, we hope to continuously grow as a community center that celebrates art and the shared passion of gaming and anime.
@cakeisalietattoo | cakeisalietattoo.com
From Here to Sunday is a small gift shop & gallery located in Gowanus, Brooklyn that aims to bring joy to its visitors. A delight to the senses, the shop presents a thoughtful curation of highly giftable art that is packed with personality, humor, and care. FHTS centers marginalized voices, while grounding itself in the community by collaborating with local artists and causes.
Location: 567 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
@heretosunday | heretosunday.com
Mighty Lucky is a licensed cannabis dispensary rooted in warmth, culture, and connection. Inspired by the legacy days of being welcomed into people’s homes, the shop was designed to feel more like stepping into a living room than a storefront. Doo’s love for her Korean heritage and admiration for Asian design traditions shape the shop’s accessory curation — from lucky cats and persimmon stash jars to playful, unexpected details meant to spark curiosity and joy. At its heart, Mighty Lucky exists to make the experience of cannabis feel welcoming, beautiful, and deeply human.
Location: 259 Bowery, New York, NY 10002
@mightyluckynyc | mighty-lucky.com
At Mama O’s, we’re obsessed with doing kimchi right. No shortcuts. No weird additives. Just real-deal ingredients, traditional methods, and flavor that hits every time. Whether you’re feeding your family or your customers, you deserve bold, quality kimchi that’s delicious and homemade. Come celebrate with us on 7/11 @ Willows Tavern for Kimchipalooza 13!
Location: 184-10 Jamaica Ave, Hollis, NY 11423
@mamaoskimchi | kimchirules.com
Nine Treasures Creamery 靈寶冰坊 (Língbǎo Bīngfāng) draws from the Taoist idea of 靈寶, or “Numinous Treasures” — mystical forces said to bridge heaven and earth. Inspired by Asian heritage, every flavor is a journey through taste, memory, and imagination.We create ice creams that honor the nostalgia of sharing dessert with your grandmother while building something joyful, modern, and future-forward.
@ninetreasurescreamery | www.hotplate.com/ninetreasurescreamery
Laura Chung is a Reiki master, astrologer, and the host of the Awaken and Align podcast. She has her Masters of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Laura is the author of How To Manifest published by Union Square & Co. She is an activist and trauma-informed healer who uses her various media platforms to share how astrology, history, and our ancestral technologies all intersect at this moment for our collective liberation. She is the Headmistress of Star School.
@iamlaurachung | Laurakchung.com
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Located in Manhattan's Chinatown, Yu & Me Books is the first queer Asian American-owned bookstore in New York City. We seek to highlight the strong voices of our community through a focus on immigrant stories, writers of color, and historically marginalized experiences. Come visit us to enjoy our curated selection of books, beverages, and weekly events!
Location: 44 Mulberry Street, New York, NY 10013
@yuandmebooks | yuandmebooks.com
Love, Indus is an opulent skincare and wellness brand born at the intersection of culture, chemistry, and craft. We pioneer "Indian Beauty 2.0" by marrying rare, regional riches - like liquefied Muga Silk and biotransformed Silver Tips Imperial Tea - with the transformative precision of New York biotechnology. From our "Botox in a tube" Line Limiter to our sell-out QVC debuts, we create high-performance, clinical formulas that restore skin resilience while honoring the luxury of the ritual. Our collection brings the riches of the Indian subcontinent to the modern high-achiever through prestigious partners like Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Ulta Beauty, and the St. Regis.
@loveindus | loveindus.com
Thanushka Yakupitiyage (artist name USHKA) is a queer Sri Lankan-born, Thailand-raised, Brooklyn-based deejay & multidisciplinary artist traversing genres across global electronic club & bass music. She deejays from the perspective of a dancer, blending a wide range of diasporic global club music. Her unmatched versatility and high energy sets take the club-goer on a journey through global club sound. When she’s not performing, Thanushka is known for her social justice work on the intersections of climate and migrant justice.
@ty_ushka | linktr.ee/thanushka
Born in Karachi, Zehra moved to the United States at 8 years old. Her immigrant experience continues to shape her brand and the way she approaches her culinary partnerships. Her recipes draw on South Asian and Middle Eastern flavors, while also intersecting with global influences. Zehra’s many years working in the international NGO space brought her to corners of the earth with authentic cultures and local cuisines that inspire her baking style. She continues to collaborate with local NYC businesses to curate elevated experiences that center bespoke desserts and good energy.
@alchemistxzehra | zehra-mirza.com
Started by two sisters, Zoë and Zoya, ZoTo&Co is a handmade art, stationery, and home decor shop that celebrates being cheeky and playful! Inspired by their Chinese heritage, a love for food, and a need for cute things, their colorful items are designed to spark joy in those who delight in whimsy.
@zotoandco | zotoandco.etsy.com
Today marks the beginning of Latine Heritage Month which runs from September 15 to October 15. As a brand whose founder has roots in Mexico and Puerto Rico, we’re proud to highlight the culture and contributions of others throughout the diaspora.
Whether in the Bay, Brooklyn or beyond, they’re bringing the sabor to the people. From restauranteurs, healers and comedians, to plant medicine providers, activists, artists, and editors, they’re proudly celebrating by centering the culture and community.
Give them a follow and support their work!
SASS is a Brooklyn-based functional adaptogenic and low dose hemp confectionery and wellness brand creating premium infused chocolates, gummies, drinks, and sensory activations rooted in pleasure and community. Our expertly dosed fine products are vegan, gluten-free, made exclusively with the freshest ingredients and locally sourced botanicals. Founded, led and staffed by queer folx, women, and the global majority. We started SASS to celebrate the unique allure of plant medicine by handcrafting treats that work with their flavors and effects instead of against them.
Location: Brooklyn, NY
@cultivate.sass | sassbk.com
Yabisi Centro is a modern botanica and school rooted in ancestral plant medicine, ritual and the healing traditions of the African and Caribbean diaspora. Our apothecary offers handcrafted herbal medicines and ritual tools—from Smoke or Steep blends and flower essences to tinctures, ritual oils, microdoses and altar goods—created to support protection, embodiment, remembrance and connection. Through our medicines, classes and School of Remembrance, Yabisi bridges ancestral wisdom with practices for tending the body, spirit and everyday life.
Location: Bronx, NY
@yabisi_centr0 | yabisi.co
Riobamba is an Ecuadorian-Lithuanian sound artist, death doula, and cultural activist. Her interdisciplinary practice is grounded in ancestral veneration, bone-deep listening, and presence with seen and unseen worlds. As a DJ, Riobamba’s rowdy, bass-heavy live sets reflect back queer diasporic nightlife’s power as a site of joy and resistance, amplifying connective tissues between YouTube clips, bodega soundtracks, and noise hyperreality.
Location: Austin, Aquí, Allá
@riobambaaa | riobamba-dj.net
Hot Girls Organize (formerly known as Hot Girls for Zohran) is a women-led nonprofit empowering young people to participate in political organizing both locally and nationally. HGO leads with community, meeting young people where they are most comfortable and cultivating a safe space that allows them to develop as both individuals and organizers. Through engaging events, accessible content, and meaningful partnerships, HGO seeks not to bring culture into politics but to shift culture itself towards action + inclusivity.
Location: Brooklyn, NY
@hotgirlsorganize | hotgirlsorganize.com
The Other Magazine is New York's leading lifestyle & culture publication covering cannabis culture, psychedelics, wellness, music, art, and travel across NYC, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. Launched to be a definitive voice for the regional cannabis community, it is distributed across licensed dispensaries throughout the area and publishes seasonal print issues alongside daily digital commentary.
Location: Brooklyn, NY
@theothermagazines | theothermagazines.com
HAAM Caribbean Plant Cuisine (Healthy As A Motha) is a Brooklyn based restaurant founded by Dominican-American Chef Yesenia Ramdass, born and raised in Washington Heights. Rooted in her Dominican heritage and influenced by the Trinidadian culture she has embraced through her husband and children. HAAM reimagines Caribbean dishes, spices, and nostalgia through a modern culinary lens. HAAM is a celebration of culture, flavor, and the stories passed down through food. Created for us, by us.
Location: 234 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
@healthyasamotha | healthyasamotha.com
Power Plus Wellness is building a bold, body-affirming wellness space where bodies are celebrated, not fixed. We are a Latina-owned boutique event company that curates life-enhancing movement and immersive wellness experiences for the plus size community to jiggle freely, fly with silks, unlearn diet culture, and joyfully exist together. Our offerings free minds, bodies, and hearts from perceived limitations.
Location: NYC
@powerpluswellness | powerpluswellness.com
Ranchera Familia is a Latina-owned, USDA-licensed industrial hemp farm rooted in California’s Central Valley, founded by cultivator, breeder, and educator Sue “Ranchera Mami” Carlton. With more than a decade of cultivation experience, Sue combines regenerative farming, genetics, education, and community-focused agriculture to create a farm that goes beyond the field. Ranchera Familia is dedicated to preserving agricultural knowledge, creating hands-on educational opportunities, and increasing representation for women and Latinas in cultivation.
Location: Fresno County, CA
@rancheramami | rancherafamilia.com
The Weedcyclers is a recycling waste removal and upcycle service. They provide cannabis businesses with donation box receptacles to collect and provide correct disposal of cannabis waste. They then turn more than 50% of our waste into Up-Cycled sustainable items such as belts, wallets, tote bags, hand bags, backpacks and more! Started in the South Bronx in 2025 and have been featured on the New York Times and more. Our Co-Founders consist of Ari Serrano - Puerto Rican Fashion Designer/Manufacturer living in the BX. and Jonathan Cooling. Found in dispos like Flynnstoned, Misha’s, Astoria Bud Boutique, A&P Dispensary, Flower Power Dispensers, CONBUD Bronx Yankee Stadium, and Devils Lettuce.
Location: Bronx, NY
@weedcyclers
Favianna Art Studios creates original works, limited-edition prints, and large-scale commissions. Her colorful and poignant pieces are available in her online shop. Her art examines the most urgent issues of our time through unapologetically feral femme self-expression. Founded and led by Latina interdisciplinary artist Favianna Rodriguez, the studio produces fine art, mixed-media pieces, and public art projects rooted in joy and healing. Favianna’s art has been commissioned by Google, the City of San Francisco, and Presidio National Park. Deeply engaged in social movements around the world, her art is both a reflection of and a catalyst for those movements.
Location: Oakland, CA
@Favianna1 | shop.favianna.com
Maria Margolies is the founder of The Holixtic Method, a movement devoted to reclaiming women's bodies, pleasure, and power. For over 25 years as a yoga teacher, dancer and certified holistic coach, she has made it her mission to normalize the conversations around pelvic health, sex, and the female body that shame has kept silent, guiding women back to the truth of their bodies. Healing pelvic floor dysfunctions, postpartum wounds, and buried desire along the way. Through women's retreats, in-person events, and online programs, she teaches women to remember their power and feel whole, at home in their bodies and unstoppable in their own skin. Through Holixtic, an online community of 970K+ Maria is building a generation of women who talk about their bodies out loud, take up space and lead with them instead of apologizing for them.
Location: Asia/Colombia
@holixtic | holixtic.com
Black Rose brings bold energy, authentic storytelling, and culture-driven entertainment to every platform. Born and raised in Harlem with Dominican roots, Black Rose has performed at top comedy venues including Comedy In Harlem, Broadway Comedy Club, Caroline’s, and the New York Comedy Festival. Her acting credits include West Side Story (Steven Spielberg), In the Heights (Jon M. Chu), Chained, and Human Graffiti. With over 100K social media followers, Black Rose continues to expand her influence, including co-hosting Hot 97 Mornings with Mero, while producing “Say Sumptin Comedy” Ana impactful comedy show and lets not forget her creative content.
Location: Washington Heights, NY
@iamblackrosenyc |
Cris Sosa's viral comedy and electric stage presence took him all the way to the Top 3 Quarterfinals of Season 21 of America’s Got Talent. His AGT run introduced Cris to millions of viewers, more than doubled his social media following, and earned high praise from the judges. Before AGT, Cris had already built a loyal audience through stand-up and viral sketches, earning the attention of Issa Rae, Mike Epps, and Steve Harvey and millions of views through his work with All Def. He has shared stages with Epps, Harvey, and KevOnStage and produced comedy shows featuring some of today’s most exciting comedic talent. With a rapidly growing audience and a voice shaped by his Houston upbringing, Latino culture, and life in New York City, Cris Sosa is bringing that momentum to stages across the country — and he’s just getting started.
Location: NYC
@cristinososa | crissosa.com
Yara Travieso is a Brooklyn-based Cuban-Venezuelan artist and director working across performance, theater, film, and ritual, whose practice treats the body as both archive and ecosystem. Drawing on the absurd, the matrilineal, and deeply felt experience, she creates hybrid spectacles that explore survival within violent systems. She is the recipient of the prestigious 2026 Doris Duke Award, a United States Artists Fellowship, a Creative Capital Award, the inaugural Jacki Apple Award, Open Interval Fellowship, among many others; she is also on faculty at The Juilliard School where she received the John Erskine Faculty Prize. Her productions and films have been presented at Park Avenue Armory, Lincoln Center, Performance Space New York, The Chelsea Factory, The Knockdown Center, Opéra National de Lorraine in France, New World Symphony Center, EMPAC, El Museo del Barrio, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, SXSW, PBS, and the Museum of the Moving Image, among many others.
Location: Brooklyn, NY
@yaratravieso | yaratravieso.com
Viva Ruiz (shethey) is a community/family/nightlife/sex work educated artist, progeny of factory working Ecuadorian migrants born and raised in Jamaica Queens. Proud to also be the “daughter” of beloved Chloe Dzubilo, punk rock trans femme activist. Ruiz has been building power and birthing pro-abortion aesthetics since 2015 with the #thankgodforabortion experiment, not an organization but a wild and worldwide organism. Viva is a 2022 Creative Capital grantee and 2022 Art Matters fellow. They are intentional about time bending, intentional about ecstasy and rage, intentional about calling more beautiful worlds into being with and in service to the spirits that walk with them.
Location: Brooklyn, NY | Portoviejo, Ecuador
@thankgodforabortion @viva_lalaruiz | www.thankgodforabortion.com
Yara Herrera is the chef/partner at Mexican-American restaurant Hellbender in Ridgewood, Queens. Born and raised in Los Angeles as a first-generation Mexican-American, Yara launched her culinary journey at 20 years old. Yara moved to New York in 2019 and continued to work through some of New York’s best restaurants including Momofuku Ko and Sobre Masa. Yara’s first solo project, Hellbender, was quickly established as a standout dining destination. The restaurant was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants for 2024 and granted a two-star review in The New York Times. Hellbender was also named in The New York Times’ list of 100 Best Restaurants in New York City for the second consecutive year in 2026. Yara was also named one of StarChefs Rising Stars in 2025 and has appeared as a guest judge on Beat Bobby Flay.
Location: 68-22 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
@hellbendernyc | hellbendernyc.com
Javier Hasse and Natalia Kesselman co-founded El Planteo, an independent publication covering cannabis, psychedelics, music, gender, ecology, economics and more. Javier has spent over a decade covering cannabis and psychedelics in both languages and wrote two books on the subject. He's a senior contributor at Forbes, a co-founder of IgniteIt, and has been named Journalist of the Year by both the Business of Cannabis Awards and the Emjays. Natalia is El Planteo's COO and Deputy Editor at High Times.
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina | Florida, USA
@el.planteo | @hightimesmagazine | elplanteo.com
Sharisse Francisco (she/her) is a Queer, Puerto Rican Afro-Latina Vocal Artist, Sound Healer, Breathwork Facilitator, and Ceremonial Cacao Guide. Blending her theater background and years as a professional singer with her studies in holistic healing modalities and intuitive wisdom, she creates transformative experiences that nurture healing, self-discovery, authentic expression and foster meaningful connection.
Location: Westchester, NY | Brooklyn, NY
@iamsharissefrancisco | www.thevoiceembodied.life
