‘The energy? Pure Covington’
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth of five articles naming the winners of the 2025 Authenti-CITY awards given by the City of Covington at a ceremony last Tuesday to mark the National Economic Development Week. More about the awards can be found at the bottom of this article
COVINGTON, Ky. – What started out as a bold move back in 2008, quickly became a cornerstone of The Cov’s food scene.
That’s when Master Chef Rich Chu and his son Johnny opened KungFood AmerAsia at 521 Madison Ave., serving a creative menu inspired by Hunan, Szechuan, and Taiwanese cuisine amid a cool eclectic décor.
Johnny Chu is a gifted artist in his own right, and he’s poured his creative touches into every inch of space. Kung fu movie posters adorn the restaurant’s walls, bright Asian art abounds, and, if you listen closely, you just might hear a little Wu-Tang humming through the speakers. Suffice it to say, the Chus have mastered the recipe for both a cool vibe and good food.
“It’s more than a restaurant,” said Covington Business Retention and Expansion Manager Patrick Duffy. “It’s a work of art.”
Today, said Duffy, with dozens of restaurants to choose from, KungFood AmerAsia still stands out as “bold, vibrant, and as unforgettable as Covington itself.”
“The menu? Legendary. The beer list? Top tier,” said Duffy. “The energy? Pure Covington.”
And the Chu family’s story doesn’t end with KungFood AmerAsia. Johnny Chu and his wife Hana have added more to The Cov community with KungBrew Cafe, their coffee and tea shop in MainStrasse Village at 640 Main St. – yet another expression of their creativity and love for the city.
“Thank you, Johnny, Hana, Chef Chu, and the entire KungFood AmerAsia crew for keeping Covington flavorful, fearless, and full of character,” said Duffy.
About the awards: The first-annual Authenti-CITY awards were unveiled by Covington’s fun and irreverent Economic Development team in 2021 to celebrate National Economic Development Week in an off-the-wall way.
There were no rules and no criteria – just staffers getting together after hours (maybe over a few drinks, maybe not) and debating fiercely about what businesses, places, events, people and organizations most “kept it real” in The Cov. The fervor had to do with this: Narrowing down the massive list (because, you know, Covington is such a cool place).
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