Stories at the Table: Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2026

This Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (ANHPI) Heritage Month, we’re aligning to the theme “Stories at the Table.” It's a celebration of how connection is fostered around the table, and how food brings us together to share our stories, celebrate our cultures, and learn from each other’s experiences. Each week, we expand the circle of what this “table” can encompass. 

• Week 1: Origins - Food as Memory We’ll reflect on how food can carry such a strong connection to home.
• Week 2: Care - Love Languages at the Table We’ll think about the care that showed up for us around food and at the table.
• Week 3: Identity - What We Keep, What We Remix We’ll celebrate the traditions we hope to pass down, while also making space to reflect on what we hope to remix, redefine, and rethink for ourselves.
• Week 4: Community - Expanding the Table We’ll embrace the community that is built not only through shared connections, but also through mutual understanding of our differences. 

Today, meet our global leads for the Asians@ employee resource group and discover what the theme means to them. 

Joyce Yuan, Machine Learning Engineer I, San Francisco 

I’m a huge foodie, but what I love most is the chance to share a table with someone else. Growing up as a Chinese-American, sharing a meal becomes a way of connecting with someone. They might not have grown up with the same experiences as me, but can take the time to sit down and enjoy good company over good food just the same. 

Growing up in a culture of few words, I feel like sharing food becomes a way of expression. My brother and I may have avoided each other in the school hallways, but whenever I bought chocolate bars at the after-school food sale, I always saved half for him. Every winter break when I return home, my mom always goes out to the furthest grocery store, an hour from home, to get the “best chicken” for my favorite chicken soup. On those rare occasions when our relatives from overseas gather around a lazy Susan, I’m reminded that in my family, love often looks like someone placing more food on your plate.

Each week of this ANHPI month, we explore a broader set of intentions implied by “Stories at the Table”, whether it’s about identity, community, or our way of love. I’m really excited to learn a lot from the Pinterest community, and connect with everyone at the table. 

Suruchi Avasthi, Sr. Client Account Manager, US Enterprise Sales, Chicago

I feel this year’s theme “Stories at the Table”  really encompasses the experience of connecting with others through the common language of food. I often think about how the best memories I have are around a table of food. Maybe it’s because there’s something disarming about sharing a meal with someone else that opens the door to conversation or because when people are enjoying a meal together it creates such a beautiful moment of connection. Regardless, I’m excited to bring that feeling to life with our ANHPI month celebrations this year. 

Love in our family was always shown most through food; my mother asking my brother and I if we had eaten yet while ready with fresh paratha and fruit, my dad making us as many bowls of gajar ka halwa as he did boxes of brownies, and the way my brother and I can spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking together for the holidays or connecting over a meal at a new restaurant. It’s always my hope that the connection I am able to foster with my family through food is something I can bring to life with friends, where we share the stories of our lives, show up with curiosity for each other’s stories, and celebrate moments of joy. 

For this month and beyond, I want to continue creating an environment for people to come together to learn from and lift each other up, and am excited about our programming this month at Pinterest!

Tracey Thong, Manager I, People Operations, San Francisco 

This year’s theme, “Stories At The Table,” resonates deeply with me because it reflects how food, family, and community shaped my upbringing. As a first-generation Cambodian American working in tech and serving as both a People Operations Manager and Lead for our Asian PG, I’ve come to appreciate how much purpose, care, and belonging were shared around the table in my family that is not often shown or talked about in my day to day life. 

My grandparents were refugees who had to leave behind their home and community, then rebuild a sense of connection in the U.S. with limited resources. Through shared meals, open tables, and the simple but meaningful question, “Have you eaten yet?” They showed love, care, and support without always needing to say the words. Whether it was borbor, kathiew, or chek chien, the food I grew up with carried stories of resilience, healing, and home.

As both of my grandparents have now passed, this theme feels even more meaningful. This month, I plan to honor my grandparents and culture by continuing those traditions through cooking the dishes I grew up with, sharing them with others, and keeping alive the spirit of gathering, caring, and connecting through food.

Closing Remarks 

This year, we are celebrating with some incredible activations across our offices. From creators sharing their stories through food over fireside chats, an artist pop up in NYC featuring sketches of everyone’s favorite dishes, to themed snack pop ups with matcha and musubi, we’re creating moments of connection for people to celebrate this month and we’re so excited to bring ANHPI month to life across Pinterest teams.