The Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC) cordially invites you to join us in the 2022 Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year series of celebrations.

From CCACC:

In the past, CCACC held the grand Lunar New Year biweekly celebration event at LakeForest Mall every year, which has been recognized as one signature event in the community. However, the ongoing COVID situation has made it challenging for the community to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Many traditional Lunar New Year celebrations have been subject to various restrictions in order to slow down the spread of viruses.

Therefore, CCACC will adopt two methods, online and on-site, to hold a series of celebration activities during the festival to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The specific arrangements are as follows:

CCACC 2022 Lunar New Year Virtual Celebration @ Feb 05 Saturday 11:00 AM

Based on the mission of promoting Chinese culture, we will still present the online Lunar New Year celebrations this year through Zoom and YouTube Live Stream. The celebration is scheduled for Saturday, February 5th at 11:00 am, and we can’t wait to share the New Year blessings with you.

This is the second year in a row that CCACC has hosted an online Lunar New Year celebration. In fact, CCACC has held many online celebrations since the pandemic and accumulated a lot of valuable experience. During the preparations for this online celebration, besides many New Year greetings from the distinguished guests nationwide, diversified performances provided by the community groups and CCACC clubs, including a special performance at the invitation of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, will be presented one by one during the virtual celebration. The celebration will be held in both Chinese and English to showcase diverse cultures. The total length is expected to be one and a half hours. We sincerely invite all community members to participate and celebrate the Lunar New Year together.

Participation is available on YouTube or Zoom, as follows:

– YouTube Live Stream

1. Click the following link： https://youtu.be/XxYVSycJtkc

2.  Or scan the following code:

– Zoom Login

1.  Login link：https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88063581805

Meeting ID：880 6358 1805

2.  Or scan the following code:

CCACC Lunar New Year Lantern Exhibition and Culture Performances, Mid-Jan to Mid-Feb

In addition to the online celebration, CCACC will once again collaborate with local malls to host the New Year’s Lantern Exhibition at Wheaton Mall and Montgomery Mall from Mid-January to Mid-February. These two large shopping malls will be decorated with colorful and festive New Year’s scenes. Furthermore, we will organize community groups and clubs to present 3 sessions of Lunar New Year on-site performances (tentatively) to add more New Year spirit. The detailed schedule is as follows:

– New Year Lantern Exhibition

Location： Westfield Montgomery and Westfield Wheaton

Date: Mid-Jan to Mid-Feb

– Culture Performances

Location： Westfield Montgomery

Date：Jan 29 1:00-3:00 PM

Feb 05 1:00-3:00 PM

Feb 12 1:00-3:00 PM

The bell of the Year of the Tiger is about to ring, and people will have stronger expectations for the New Year. The Tiger ranks third in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs. Tiger represents independence, fearlessness, loyalty, and confidence. They are strong in the face of adversity and never back down from a challenge. We believe those characteristics will lead us to go through all the hardships in the future.

We look forward to sharing the joy of the Lunar New Year with all the friends in the community. Please pay close attention to the time of each celebration. Don’t miss it! CCACC wishes everyone a Happy Lunar New Year, and may the year ahead be filled with joy, hope, health, and prosperity.

Back in November of 2020, we let you know that Jongro BBQ, a popular New York Korean BBQ restaurant, is opening up shop at Wheaton Mall. The latest update we have received from Westfield Wheaton (this past October) is that the restaurant is expected to open in January, 2022.

The restaurant is known for its wide variety of cuts that are not  found in most other Korean restaurants. According to their website, their “beef and pork are produced with only natural feeds.”

The full menu of the New York location can be accessed here.

It will be taking over the location that was going to be home to Tilted Kilt a few years back, near DSW and the UPS store. The address of Jongro BBQ will be 11160 Veirs Mill Road, H15, Wheaton, MD 20902.

 

Westfield will have expanded hours at Montgomery and Wheaton Malls this holiday season. The hours for each day until January 3 can be seen below:

Note: Store hours may vary from what’s on the website.
Please contact the store for the most current information.

Montgomery Mall

Hook & Reel will have its beer, wine, and liquor license hearing on Thursday, October 7th at 9:30am.

It has been nearly two years, December of 2019, since we let you know that the Cajun seafood restaurant and bar would be coming to MoCo with two new locations (Gaithersburg and Wheaton).

The Gaithersburg location a  little over a year ago,  but it has taken the Wheaton location quite a bit longer to get everything together.

The Wheaton location is at 11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, MD 20902, which is in Wheaton Mall. It will be taking over two vacant storefronts between Party City and the old Bar Louie.

We stopped by earlier this past summer and someone at the site that the restaurant was still “a couple months away.” The ABS hearing is a good sign that the opening date is getting closer.

The menu consists of clams, crawfish, black/New Zealand mussels, shrimp, snow crab legs, Dungeness crab, lobster, King crab legs, blue crabs, scallops, calamari, and more.

The first Hook & Reel Restaurant was opened in Lanham, Maryland in 2013. The restaurant chain has seen a massive expansion with over 20 current locations and 30 new locations on the way across the country.

Hook & Reel Progress in Wheaton

Back in December of 2019 we let you know that Hook & Reel, w Cajun seafood restaurant and bar, was coming to MoCo with two new locations (Gaithersburg and Wheaton).

The Gaithersburg location opened almost a year ago,  but it has taken the Wheaton location quite a bit longer to get everything together. The Wheaton location is at Wheaton Mall, taking over two vacant storefronts between Party City and the old Bar Louie.

We stopped by last week to check on the progress and saw ongoing construction. Photos can be seen below.

We were told by someone at the site that the restaurant was still “a couple months away.”

The menu consists of clams, crawfish, black/New Zealand mussels, shrimp, snow crab legs, Dungeness crab, lobster, King crab legs, blue crabs, scallops, calamari, and more.

The first Hook & Reel Restaurant was opened in Lanham, Maryland in 2013. The restaurant chain has seen a massive expansion with over 20 current locations and 30 new locations on the way across the country.

Jollibee Opening Date Finally Announced

According to our sources at Westfield Wheaton, Jollibee at 2800B University Blvd W Suite C in Wheaton has set April 8th as their opening date.

We’re told they will be open from 9AM-11PM and will start out with a limited menu.

THEY WILL ONLY BE TAKING ORDERS BY PHONE the first few weeks. They will have five phone lines available for people to call. The phone lines will open starting at 7AM to place orders.  The will be no walk in ordering at first. They also will be not be available on DoorDash and UberEats.

(Photo of interior courtesy Westfield Wheaton)

Originally scheduled to open in December 2020, the opening has been pushed back multiple times due to the pandemic.

The Filipino fast food chain has over 1,300 locations worldwide and offers a items such as Chicken Joy (a fried chicken dish), the Yumburger (the house burger), Jolly spaghetti (a sweet spaghetti dish that includes ground beef, hot dog pieces, and ham), and many other products that are a mix between traditional Filipino fare and American-influenced cuisine.

 

Angel’s Pizza & Pasta had Closed Permanently in Wheaton Mall

Angel’s Pizza & Pasta has closed at Wheaton Mall. The owners of Baronessa in Rockville opened the restaurant in mid-2019 in the food court of the mall.

They focused on Neapolitan style pizza and pasta dishes, which brought a unique type of cuisine to the food court.

Chef Angel Mendoza is a certified Pizzaiolo, and has spent decades honing his craft at 2Amy’s and RedRocks Pizzeria.

You can still have his pizza at Baronessa on East Gude Drive in Rockville, as we were told there are no plans for it to close.

January Jollibee Update for First MoCo Location, Including News of Second DC Metro Location

Back in March we let you know that Jollibee was making its way to MoCo with its first Maryland location in Wheaton Mall.

In August we received work that we know that it would be taking over the location that was previously home to Baja Fresh. Construction has been ongoing, but due to COVID restrictions and safety measures taken by the crews doing the work, it has taken a little longer than originally expected.

The latest news we have received has been to expect an early 2021 opening, with no exact date provided…yet.

Earlier this week the company announced a second DC Metro Area restaurant as Jollibee will take over the old Boston Market location at Plaza at Landmark in Fairfax county.

The Filipino fast food chain has over 1,300 locations worldwide and offers a Items such as Chicken Joy (a fried chicken dish), the Yumburger (the house burger), Jolly spaghetti (a sweet spaghetti dish that includes ground beef, hot dog pieces, and ham), and many other products that are a mix between traditional Filipino fare and American-influenced cuisine.

The Westfield malls in Montgomery County reopened this past Monday, June 23. Here are some more details on what Wheaton Mall specifically looks like:

Even though it’s the first week, many people are already frequenting the mall. All stores must follow a set of safety guidelines designated by both Westfield and the government, which includes mandating customers to wear masks, prohibiting outside food and drink, and disinfecting high-contact areas frequently. These guidelines are posted on signs throughout the mall.

Many of the open stores have ropes or signs to block off proper entrances and exits. Some stores also provide additional hand sanitizer.

Some stores, such as H&M, limit who can come in or out by counting the number of customers that enter, while others encourage social distancing. Most stores also have signs posted that show adjusted maximum occupancy. These numbers vary, as they are proportional to the square footage of the store.

Portions of the parking lots are also designated for curbside pick up.

By Nyrene Monforte