Nora Lum, the 38-year-old performer widely recognized by her stage name Awkwafina, is reflecting on her latest creative project fresh off the heels of the Bafta TV awards. Known for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi, Lum is now starring in the Apple TV series The Unlikely Cook, a program that sees her attempting to bridge the gap between her modern life and her family’s deep-rooted culinary heritage. I ’m embarrassed I didn’t bring anything. And I’m meeting Nora Lum, 38 – best known as rapper, comic actor and writer Awkwafina – the morning after the Bafta TV awards, it’s 10-something in the morning. I feel that I should have brought her a pastry pick-me-up. It sees the star of box-office hits Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings travel across the US to learn from a new generation of Asian American chefs, in the hope that she might revive her own family’s long-closed Cantonese restaurant. With much of its gentle humour coming less from the supposedly awkward personality that inspired Lum’s stage name than her deep appreciation for food and hospitality, lum’s new TV show about it is pleasingly warm and personal. Starring in the brilliantly named episode Bad Sex, Grandparents, Eating Habits, grandma obliged. “Oh my God, yeah,” she exclaims. She refers to an episode where she is stressed. “That episode was bizarre to watch.
Despite the show’s title, Lum insists the premise is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. She brushes off the idea that she is truly an unlikely cook, arguing that developing a culinary skill set was straightforward. She notes that growing up within an immigrant Chinese family meant being raised on diverse and authentic traditional dishes. The project is deeply personal, centering on her great-grandfather Jimmy, who established one of the first Chinese-American restaurants in Flushing, Queens, back in the 1950s. The restaurant, which operated until 1982, serves as the emotional backbone of the series. Yet here I am empty-handed. “It could have been Chinese buns,” she playfully suggests. But there’s one problem: she can’t cook. “Well, I think it was the easiest knack to develop, because all it really takes is to eat at a ton of restaurants and order food constantly,” she pushes back. “The restaurant is how we came to this country,” she explains. “It closed in 1982, so I wasn’t born. Called Lum’s, it became something of an institution, helping to popularise the Chinese-American food beloved today (think: orange chicken and BBQ ribs). Not the cilantro!” in ecstatic anticipation of a herb, have you ever seen someone scream “Oh my God. And starred her as directionless, awkward Nora living in – you guessed it – Flushing, with her widow, which is saying something given her hit 2020 comedy television show was literally called Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens. “I’m always a little worried, thinking: ‘Oh my God, what are you going to say. “With this [project], she’s calling me at all hours of the night, we’re staying up talking. Actually, she called me a week ago and was like, ‘I’m just thinking about the menu, and we should put a pu pu platter – but we shouldn’t call it pu pu, because, you know, it means shit so we should call it the volcano platter. Be panicked, because I have never seen myself be serious.
Lum describes the legacy of the family establishment as a constant presence, comparable to a departed family member. The series features her grandmother, who regularly provided memorable moments on camera. Lum explains that she has frequently invited her grandmother to participate in her work since her early days on MTV’s Girl Code. Even as the show was being produced, her grandmother remained actively involved, sharing ideas for the menu and offering candid, often unpredictable input that Lum describes as having a natural on-camera charm. Several months after I meet Lum, I see the Instagram post announcing her grandmother’s death.
The production process for this show felt uniquely vulnerable for the star. Having previously explored aspects of her life in the hit 2020 sitcom Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, she admits that this new project felt different. Reflecting on past performances where she acted out moments of genuine stress and panic, she confessed to feeling a sense of discomfort while watching herself, even admitting she felt a degree of sympathy for her past self and those around her during those moments.
This project has also allowed Lum to address the broader narrative of her family’s history.
She notes that for previous generations, the restaurant business was often a necessary survival strategy rather than a chosen passion.
Many immigrants from her great-grandfather’s era were relegated to working in kitchens or laundries. Her own grandmother experienced the intense pressure of the industry, eventually facing a business failure that led to bankruptcy. Lum describes this experience as a profound hardship for her, noting how her grandmother would painstakingly handle napkins and perform daily labor to sustain their livelihood.
Exploring this history has made Lum consider the significance of her current success. She contemplates whether reviving a version of the family business could serve as a way to honor the sacrifices made by her predecessors. While she describes the concept of a permanent restaurant as still being in the planning stages, she sees the opportunity to provide for her family as a full-circle moment.
Her journey into the industry, however, was far from the traditional path some might expect. Lum laughs off the suggestion that she agonized over choosing a creative career, joking that she likely lacked the academic standing for law school. She speaks candidly about her struggles in school, recalling that she had to repeat Earth science multiple times. Despite the unconventional path, she notes that her father once hoped she would pursue a career as a meat inspector, a profession she acknowledges is both necessary and provides a stable entry-level salary.
Reflecting on her growth, Lum shares that she has begun to dabble in cooking on her own, particularly while filming on location in Kentucky. She takes pride in mastering simple meals like a four-egg omelette. Ultimately, the experience of creating this show has underscored her connection to her family’s legacy, even as she continues to navigate her own evolving professional path. Following the production of the show, her grandmother passed away, leaving the series as a poignant record of their time spent working together. Sure, in the first episode, Lum looks genuinely alarmed by the triple threat of hot oil, high heat and sharp knives in wok cooking.
