The non-profit organization began in 1995 when founder Clement Chu had the idea of creating a space for Chinese youth where they could learn and foster a love for sports while building a sense of community.  Today, the organization continues to serve over 2000 participants through their leagues, programs and events. They also have partnerships with the Toronto Raptors, Raptors 905, Canada Basketball, NBA, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

CCYAA offers coaching and training to kids through basketball programs such as Rising Stars and the Jr. NBA program. They are also involved with the Jeremy Lin Basketball School that offers a series of programming for kids between the ages of 3 to 18. Participants have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the game, hone their skills, play in tournaments and advance to leadership training. They also benefit from learning life-long developmental skills.

Amongst their fundraising and awareness events, CCYAA has hosted celebrity basketball tournaments. Last year’s sold out stadium event held at the University of Toronto saw high profile names on and off the courts. Basketball pro Jeremy Lin and actor Simu Liu led their respective dream teams to a friendly and entertaining competitive afternoon. Ronny Chieng, Hasan Minhaj, Meng’er Zhang, Tesher, and Kim Lee (Netflix’s Bling Empire) were just a few names that either played  in the tournament or were amongst the crowd enjoying the game…and yes, another one is in the works!

The organization started because it was an opportunity to give youth within the Chinese community a space to play organized basketball. “Today, basketball has become such a popular sport and there are now more places for our youth to play,” says Chu. But he also mentioned they are now facing new challenges like getting people to enjoy being physically active. The organization  also wants to continue to promote and encourage representation. “We want people to be not only proud of who they are but to embrace other cultures,’ said Chu. “These types of collaborations are exactly the type of celebration which shows that.  Now, we see people from outside of our community embracing things like lucky cats and bubble tea. To see others embracing parts of our culture and diversity is exciting.”

His organization has progressed a lot over the years and continues to evolve. Chu believes there are greater opportunities to do even more work with the community. “To have so many people embrace what we’re doing and to put their time into volunteering, that’s very encouraging. I think that is the sign of the times where people are really celebrating the diversity and helps us push our mandate forward.”

The organization has been busy. Recently,  they ran a Raptors Lunar New Year event to help raise funds for CCYAA and KultureCity –a charity based out of Atlanta. “What they try to do is to create inclusive environments for people at events including those with autism and PTSD,” said Chu.  “The organization helps to create safe rooms and apparatus to give them a more enjoyable experience.”

CCYAA is also currently working on updating their Athletic Performance Centre in Markham. All of the current fundraising efforts with the capsule collection will go towards the expansion of community space  where young people can go to gather, train and learn. Chu also tells us there are plans to include a work out/gym studio where adults and seniors can join in activities such as Tai Chi and Line Dancing.

Here’s where you can order the Lucky Cat capsule collection: www.ccyaa.org.

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Alongside the game, the CCYAA has partnered with Superfresh (384 Bloor Street West), a community and purpose driven Asian night market in the Annex area of Toronto, to present ‘FreshFest’, a celebration of North American Asian pop-culture. This is a collaborative celebration of Asian culture with 4 days of unique programming and Superfresh will be the location and canvas to showcase arts, music, food, drink, lifestyle, and retail.

Featured vendors will include:

• A Bopomofo Cafe pop up which was co-founded by WongFu Productions creator Phil Wang
• An art-toy exhibit from Mindzai
• A free sneaker cleaning station courtesy of Crep Protect
• A merch-market which includes collaboration pieces with Mitchell & Ness including a limited-edition variant of the infamous BobaRaptor line

4-Day Pop-Up Schedule

Wednesday, July 6 (4:00 pm – 9:00 pm)

Day Market, as curated by Auntie’s Supply Founder and Owner Christine Tolosa Pack, will feature a diverse line-up of 10 of the freshest Asian vendors Saigon Drip, Apothegeri, Kopi Thyme, Kumain Kitchen, Baker Rae Desserts, Mad Love Creative Co. and many more.

Thursday, July 7 (9:30 pm – close)

Freshfest DJ Night showcasing a line-up of local Asian DJs spinning fresh beats, curated libations and select street eats.

Friday, July 8 (4:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

Freshfest Pop-up featuring Mindzai, Crep Protect and CCYAA Merch Market

Saturday, July 9 (12:00 pm – 7:30 pm)

Freshfest Pop-up featuring Bopomofo Café, Mindzai, Crep Protect and CCYAA Merch Market

Tickets to the CCYAA Celebrity Classic Charity Basketball Game presented by Virgin Plus can be found here. This event will feature 20+ celebrities, athletes and personalities from the North American Asian community to help raise funds for the Jeremy Lin Foundation and the CCYAA’s new Community Centre.

The Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association (CCYAA) is a registered non-profit which aims to promote physical activity to youths across the Greater Toronto Area and embrace diversity and inclusion in sports. Founded in 1995, the CCYAA currently services over 2,000 youths across the city in a variety of programs and events which includes the Jeremy Lin Basketball School. To learn more about CCYAA, visit www.ccyaa.org and follow on Instagram @ccyaa_ for more updates and celebrity announcements.

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The 4000+ square foot location that was named after the beloved 24-hour Korean-owned grocery store that was the previous tenant. Now, the space houses several local, asian-owned and operated open concept permanent food stalls. Not only is the food delicious, visitors will be immersed in an exciting space filled with playful decor – from the golden lucky cat wall to vintage Chinese restaurant menus and ads to plastic stools often found at street food vendors across Asia.  An installation at the entrance way is a cute nod to customarily removing shoes at the door before entering our parents’ homes.  And the colour plastic colander baskets hang from the ceiling add to the look. I could just hear my PoPo laugh and say “gum duck yee, ah!” (translation: that’s so cute!)

Bring your friends. Come hungry. Seriously. Don’t forget to check out the secret speakeasy in the back!

Here’s what visitors will discover…

Bao Bird Eats:  Chef Trevor Lui’s fried chicken is considered the “OG of Taiwanese Fried Chicken” and was wildly popular at stackt market (aka Joybird) and now the crispy goodness is available here and in forms of baos. Along side chicken, try the pork belly bao (gua bao). The fresh fluffy bao (buns) are stuffed with juicy meats fresh from the grill but also save room for his Chili Garlic Ginger Noodles, Chilled Dan Dan Noodles, and other yummy sides.

Big Beef Bowl: If comfort food is what you crave then the traditional Lanzhou-style hand pulled noodle soups here will be truly satisfying. Noodle master Evan Lu brings a modern touch to the traditional dish. Try the beef brisket noodle bowl! Slurping allowed! And try the pan fried dumplings!

Katsupan Japanese Sandos: if you’ve never tried a Japanese sandwich (aka sando) we highly recommend trying them all here. Tamago (Egg topped with seaweed flakes), Shrimp, and Katsu (breaded pork or chicken) stuffed in the fluffiest Japanese Milk Bread aka Shokupan are deeply satisfying. We heard that they will have their bread for sale too — order online for pick up at this location! No need to make a trek up to their Scarborough location, unless you want to of course. Their Shokupan uptown sells out quickly everyday!

The Good Goods: Sweet tooth friends are happy for this bakery founded by Kim, a local baker. Her signature mochi cupcakes are decadently moist. With over 40 mochi flavours her unique sweets plays with Asian and Canadian flavours.

Jajan Indonesian Street Treats: is considered the first open concept Indonesian kitchen features iconic street food dishes from the region including Beef Rendang from Padang-Sumatra and delicious meat and tofu skewers. “Jajan” means to “treat yo’self in Bahasa (Indonesian dialect). We’re here for it.

Ssam Cha: this Korean snack bar inspired menu invites food lovers to keep the food and  drinks flowing. It’s all about unwinding and hanging amongst friends over good cheer.

Auntie’s Supply: be sure to pick up some popular asian snacks to bring home at this second location (first one is at stackt market). Here the curated selection includes many favourites from our childhood — load up on prawn chips, crispy squid, Pocky, Pretz, candies (yay, Hi-Chews!), instant coffees, matcha and noodles. They also carry specialty and small batch items made locally. For something different pick up the Taro Bubble Tea Oatmeal.

We returned a couple weeks after opening to see how things operated on a daily basis. Arriving around 5 pm we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. The menu and ordering is accessed through your own phone – take a photo of the QR code at your seat and it will direct you to all the menu items. Ordering and payment is also done on your own phone. If you have Apple Pay it simplifies things. Orders are brought to your table and it’s pretty efficient. Worth checking out their social media handles to seek the secret password for the Speakeasy access – there are more tables there!

Superfresh is located at  384 Bloor Street West in Toronto.  Open daily from 12:00 pm until late (closed Tuesdays). We recommend keeping up to date with what’s happening including special events on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

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