This May, Sunda New Asian invites guests to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, highlighted by the national television premiere of the award-winning documentary FOOD ROOTS from Sunda CEO/Founder and Emmy Award-winning restauranteur, Billy Dec.
In partnership with American Public Television, FOOD ROOTS will be available to audiences nationwide throughout May, streaming on the PBS app and airing on local PBS stations. The film will also debut on YouTube via Billy Dec’s channel (@BillyDecLife) beginning May 1. Already earning national recognition, FOOD ROOTS received Audience Choice Awards at the Nashville Film Festival and Vero Beach Film Festival, with additional screenings at the Chicago International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and others.
Bringing the story to life is an acclaimed, award-winning creative team that underscores the film’s cinematic scope and cultural significance. The project includes three-time Oscar-winning executive producer Doug Blush (20 Feet from Stardom, Icarus, The Elephant Whisperers), Emmy Award-winning director Michele Josue, Grammy Award-winning artist apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, Oscar-nominated producer Ronnie Del Carmen (Up, Inside Out), and creative agency COACT. Together, the team delivers a visually rich and emotionally resonant film that blends documentary storytelling with deeply personal narrative.
FOOD ROOTS follows Dec on a journey through his mother’s native Philippines, 7,641 islands, where he reconnects with his last living elders, uncovers ancestral recipes, and explores how food preserves identity, memory, and cultural connection. Traveling by plane, boat, motorcycle, jeepney, and on foot, Dec moves through bustling cities, remote islands, and mountain villages, capturing traditions that are both deeply personal and universally relatable. One of the film’s most powerful moments includes an encounter with a 108-year-old tribal tattoo master, symbolizing ancestral continuity and cultural legacy.
In celebration of the premiere, Sunda New Asian will introduce a curated lineup of AAPI-inspired dishes and cocktails available throughout May. Several of the featured menu items are directly inspired by flavors and culinary traditions explored in the film, allowing guests to experience the story through food.
Featured AAPI Month offerings include:
•Kinilaw: pressed tuna, pickled beets, cucumbers, onions, sliced tomato, thai basil, calamansi coconut dressing
•Lobster Lumpia: pickled vegetables, bibb lettuce, sweet chili butter
•Ohhkoy Fritter: purple sweet potato, carrot, kale, squash, saswasan dipping sauce
•Short Rib Kare Kare: braised beef short ribs, achiote peanut sauce, bagoong chili crisp, fresh herbs
•Golden Sun: grey goose la poire, calamansi juice, lemon juice, ginger syrup, prosecco topper, garnished with spun sugar
•Spirit Free Specialty Cocktail: Sunrise – yuzu, passionfruit syrup, san pellegrino sparkling blood orange
Sunda New Asian is located at 592 12th Avenue S, Nashville.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
 Heritage Month highlighted by the national television premiere of the award-winning documentary FOOD ROOTS.){kind=link}