Awkwafina Explores Asian American Cuisine in Apple TV's New Culinary Adventure
- AD Staff
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor and comedian Nora Lum, better known as Awkwafina, is heading to the kitchen, and she’s taking viewers along for the ride. Apple TV recently announced it is developing a new eight-episode unscripted food series titled The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina, with the star both headlining and executive producing the show.
The series is described as a personal, cross-country culinary adventure that will see Awkwafina exploring the dynamic world of contemporary Asian American cuisine. The journey begins with a look back at her own family’s profound connection to food: Her family once ran Lum’s, an iconic Cantonese restaurant in Flushing, New York, which was one of the first in what is now a thriving Chinatown.
However, the hilarious catch is that Awkwafina admits she is, well, an unlikely cook.
“I’ve never been trusted around a kitchen, so I thank everyone involved for opening that part of my house up to me,” Awkwafina said in the announcement. “Food has been a huge part of my family's history, and to be able to explore and reconnect with that legacy has been an incredibly rare and very special opportunity.”
Despite growing up in the restaurant business, she confessed in the press release that she "can't cook at all" and "could ruin an instant ramen." The series will follow her as she attempts to master Asian food in the kitchen with the help of acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs, and her own family, to see if she can reimagine her family's legacy for a new generation.
The series is produced for Apple TV by Twofour, the same production company behind the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-nominated travel series, The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy. The Unlikely Cook with Awkwafina is expected to release sometime in 2026.
Photo courtesy Apple TV
