Roy Choi to headline UTRGV Distinguished Speakers Series

Roy Choi, the culinary trailblazer of the modern food truck movement, will serve as the inaugural speaker for the 2024-2025 season of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

DSS, a free event, will be held Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Center (EPAC) in Edinburg.

Choi, a Seoul native raised in Los Angeles, will share his journey and insights into how he transformed the culinary landscape with the fusing of flavors, social media and community while celebrating the street food culture.

His Emmy Award-winning series Broken Bread on KCET/Tastemade earned him a James Beard Award for Outstanding Host in 2020. Choi also co-hosts the Netflix series The Chef Show with Jon Favreau. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, he was named Best New Chef by Food and Wine magazine in 2010. His memoir, L.A. Son, became a New York Times Bestseller in 2013.

In 2016, he was included in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, and his restaurant LocoL won the first-ever Los Angeles Times Restaurant of the Year award in 2017. Choi continues to champion street food culture as co-owner and chef of Kogi BBQ, Chego!, Best Friend, and The Chef Truck at Park MGM Las Vegas.

DSS is open to the public, with priority admission for UTRGV students starting at 7 p.m.

For more information or to request accommodations, contact studentactivities@utrgv.edu.

ABOUT DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

The Distinguished Speaker Series, led by Student Activities, brings world-class speakers to the university and community. Past speakers include former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, renowned costume designer Ruth Carter, civil rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, and Grammy/Oscar winner John Legend.

To learn more about the UTRGV Distinguished Speaker Series, visit utrgv.edu/dss.