Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman stood alongside a Queens Democrat this weekend to hammer Gov. Kathy Hochul over New York’s gas stove ban, arguing the policy threatens a staple of Asian home cooking.
City Councilman Phil Wong (D-Queens), who was born in Hong Kong, told a crowd at a Saturday event hosted by the Juniper Civic Association that he’d back whichever candidate “is going to let me keep my wok.” Blakeman also attended the event.
“If you move into a new building, you’re out of luck. No wok for you,” Wong said. “There’s not a single Asian family who said they can cook [stir-fry in a wok] with an electric stove top.”
The ban, designed to cut carbon emissions, already applies to new buildings up to seven stories tall. It extends to taller buildings by 2029. Restaurants are exempt, meaning wok cooking will keep going in Chinese eateries even as home kitchens lose the option.
Blakeman took the message directly to a Chinese restaurant kitchen in Queens, posting video of the visit on Instagram. In the clip, he picks up a wok and questions whether Hochul is trying to put Chinese restaurants out of business.
“Jackie, they want to take away gas,” Blakeman tells the chef in the video. Jackie responds, “No good, no good.”
“We got to make sure we protect all of these gas stoves so you can use the wok and get great Chinese food in New York,” Blakeman says in the post.
Hochul’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism.
Blakeman has made the gas ban a centerpiece of his broader attack on what he calls Hochul and Albany Democrats’ “green energy scam.” The policy has already sparked lawsuits and implementation delays. Hochul herself drew fire after it came out that she has gas stoves at both her Buffalo residence and the executive mansion in Albany.
Facing reelection pressure earlier this year, Hochul pushed fellow Democrats in the state Legislature to delay the timetable for some green mandates after her administration said they would add thousands of dollars in costs for residents.
Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting runs through Sunday.
