Squadron vs. Chin in Skillet-to-Skillet Chinatown Competition

By Carl Glassman

Don’t have a taste for politics? You’d still savor what Councilwoman Margaret Chin and state Senator Daniel Squadron cooked up on Friday, April 22, when the two pols went skillet to skillet, seeking votes at what might be called the palate box.

The two Lower Manhattan elected officials battled it out over a hot stove at the Chinese-American Planning Council’s senior center, 70 Mulberry St., where they each stir-fried chicken with vegetables, then served the dish to a discerning table of dining judges—staff and seniors at the center. The cook-off was meant to highlight Chin and Squadron’s help in restoring gas at the Chinatown center last year after an eight-month outage.

With the tasting ended, the two contestants—allies on most non-culinary issues—sat side by side as a winner was determined by the judges’ applause. Watch the video to see who took the title.