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His number one vote is for Real Kung Fu Steamed Buns and Dumplings, closely followed by Schmackary’s, Totto Ramen, Ippudo Ramen, Lucky’s Famous Burgers and Tim Ho Wan. Andrew Yang started his run for Democratic presidential candidate from his mom’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment in the fall of 2017 — now he has the role of New York City’s next mayor in his sights.
There are signals that the tech entrepreneur Yang is preparing to join the 2021 race to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio. For a man who transformed the New York Times opinion from “mounting a longer-than-long-shot bid” to “The Internet’s Favorite Candidate” — he seems to have a good chance of winning the vote.
According to Politico, he has been calling elected officials to gauge support for a possible bid to become New York City’s next mayor. Politico added that Yang, who championed a plan to provide all Americans a $1,000 monthly stipend (Universal Basic Income), is also in talks with Tusk Strategies, the consulting firm that worked on Mike Bloomberg’s 2009 mayoral campaign.
When asked by Politico in February whether he would run as New York Mayor he said: “It’s incredibly flattering to be thought of in that role…. We haven’t ruled anything out at this point. I will say I’m more attracted to executive roles than legislative ones because I think you can get more done. You can get your hands dirtier and actually roll up your sleeves.”
Yang grew up in Westchester and for most of his adult life lived in Hell’s Kitchen, Intelligencer reports. He certainly liked to share his local knowledge with others, and the first employee on his presidential campaign, Muhan Zhang, reveals Yang’s love of food – it namechecks a whole raft of neighborhood eateries!
“The beginning of the campaign was extremely intimate and human. Every time we had one of Yang’s friends come to visit, or met up with a potential teammate, we’d often take them to a local Yang restaurant favorite. Real Kung Fu Steamed Buns and Dumplings on 49th and 8th was a classic, as Yang reminded us that it was “Michelin Star” on an affordable budget,” recalled Zhang. “The order was more or less the same, every time: soup dumplings, scallion pancakes with beef, and house fried noodles for everyone to share. Other go-to food spots from the Golden Days, when we’d go out to lunch as a team 3–4 times a week, include Schmackary’s in Hell’s Kitchen, Totto Ramen, Ippudo Ramen, Otto’s Tacos, City Kitchen’s Ramen, and Lucky’s Famous Burgers. Yang has always been a foodie and set the precedent for our collective fattening on the Yang2020 campaign.”
And Yang seems to be happy to share that love of food – at the height of his presidential campaign, one of the incentives on offer to donors was the chance to have a dim sum lunch with the candidate at the Tim Ho Wan restaurant on 9th Ave.
Andrew Yang is a married father of two boys, Christopher and Damian — who up until recently attended school in Hell’s Kitchen. During the pandemic, the family has spent time in New Paltz, NY and it is unclear where he will live if he launches a bid to become mayor next year.
Could he win the Mayoral race? Results of a poll obtained by the New York Post seem to indicate in the affirmative.
“Yang’s entry into the race would complicate city Comptroller Scott Stringer’s efforts to frame the race as a two-man fight with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams,” said the Post, adding: “Twenty percent of respondents said that Yang would be their top pick of the 2021 primary were held today, while 14 percent listed Adams and just 11 percent named Stringer.”
All he’s really got to do now is fight for the title of chief Hell’s Kitchen foodie against candidates Michael Muñoz, food writer at W42ST and Ryan Sutton, Chief Food Critic at Eater.
RUN! I’ll vote for you. Do it!