Latest news with #99Ranch
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular Canadian Asian grocery chain to open in Irvine next year
Canada's largest Asian grocery chain is continuing its expansion into California with plans to open a new location in Irvine early next year. It will be among the first storefronts in the state for T&T Supermarket, which has more than 33 stores in Vancouver, Toronto and other Canadian cities. The supermarket is popular in Canada for fresh produce and a variety of hot food cooked on site, including Asian street food and staples such as Peking duck. The store in Irvine will also offer Asian wines and spirits and T&T private label products. Its bakery will sell viral Asian treats, including lava mochi puffs and Napoleon Portuguese egg tarts. Orange County's 34,000-square-foot T&T Supermarket will anchor a new restaurant and retail development in the Great Park community called the Canopy at Great Park, according to a statement from the company. The Canopy, which is being built by Southern California real estate developer Almquist, will feature 90,000 square feet of shopping, dining and public space. Read more: Jonson and Alice Chen: The new generation for 99 Ranch The location is slated to open in winter of 2026, the chain said. The first U.S. location opened in Bellevue, Wash., in December 2024, and the company also has plans to open stores in San Francisco and San Jose by the end of next year. "Ever since we announced our U.S. entry, we have been getting customer requests all across the United States," T&T Chief Executive Tina Lee said in a statement. "I know T&T may not be well-known in Irvine, but we are excited to surprise our shoppers with a unique shopping experience." Irvine's T&T is likely to face competition, as popular Asian markets including H Mart and Mitsuwa Marketplace are already established in the area. Shoppers can also frequent 99 Ranch and Zion Market, both of which have stores in Irvine and other locations in Southern California. Irvine's population of more than 300,000 is nearly 45% Asian. T&T Supermarket first opened in British Columbia in 1993 and is currently run by the founder's daughter, Lee, who took over in 2014. Canadian retailer Loblaw Companies acquired the chain in 2009, though it is operated as an independent subsidiary. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NBC News
14-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Talking Shop with Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao
Talking Shop is our series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys. When Jing Gao founded Fly By Jing in 2018, she had one goal: help people bring their favorite Asian flavors home. Prior to starting her company, she ran an underground supper club with a similar intention, and after developing a handful of sauce bases for recipes, she started bottling them to sell. One of those sauces might be in your refrigerator or pantry right now — I practically add Fly By Jing's Sichuan Chili Crisp to anything savory I eat, and use its Sichuan Gold chili oil when I really want to amp up a dish. Of course, Fly By Jing's products are staples in her kitchen, but Gao relies on many others when hosting or cooking dinner for her family. I talked to her about the kitchen essentials she can't live without, plus the food item she used to stuff her suitcase with before flying home from Singapore. 'Zojirushi is the Rolls Royce of rice cookers,' says Gao. 'I use it pretty much every day in my kitchen, and I have a small one because it's just me, my partner and my baby. You just press a button and it makes perfect rice every single time.' Beyond using it for rice, Gao also cooks congee in it. When she's using a wok to boil, steam, stir fry or braise ingredients, Gao's utensil of choice is long wood or bamboo cooking chopsticks. 'They give you more precision when you want to pick things up, and they're really good for separate noodles,' she says. 'Since they're so long, it prevents you from getting your hand all up in the steam and oil that might be splattering.' 'I have a lot of hot pot at home, and whenever I host, I love making it because it's the most simple yet impressive food that just looks beautiful,' says Gao. 'It's such a communal, wonderful experience where you're cooking and eating with friends, and it goes on for hours. It's a huge spread, but all you really did was wash some vegetables, chop some tofu and lay out pre-sliced meats from H-Mart or 99 Ranch.' 'With hot pot, you basically need some kind of a stove on your table,' says Gao. 'I love the Iwatani because you don't need to mess with cords since it runs off gas. You can put it in the middle of your table with your hot pot over it, and it's great for camping, too.' Diaspora Co. Aranya Black Pepper 'I swear by and only use Dispora's black pepper,' says Gao. 'It's the best black pepper and it will make you feel like every black pepper you've had in the past is awful. It's that good.' She also uses the brand's other single-origin, ethically-sourced spices, all of which are 'beautifully packaged' so Gao recommends gifting them to the home cook in your life. Toiro Donabe Steamer Mushi Nabe 'You can make hot pot in any type of pot, but I prefer a donabe, which is a Japanese clay vessel,' she says. 'They've been using it for thousands of years in China and Japan, and there's something about the clay that really holds the heat when you're cooking and amplifies the flavor.' Gao's favorite donabe is from Toiro, a Los Angeles-based brand. 'Toiro's artisan-crafted clay pots are just incredible and their donabe is such a versatile vessel. I cook hot pot in it, but I also use it to cook rice, steam vegetables and make Japanese curries.' Gao has this large donabe from Toiro that comes with a steamer attachment. She often makes soup or rice on the bottom, and salmon and vegetables on top in the steamer. 'It's all about convenience,' says Gao. 'I love making fresh rice, but sometimes, I just do not have the time,' says Gao. 'Having ready-to-eat rice in a bag that you just microwave for a minute is so easy.' She often uses Lundberg's 90-second rice to make fried rice, and adds vegetables and eggs to it. Irvins Salted Egg Salmon Skin Chip Crisps 'The most popular snack brand from Asia is Irvins, which is based in Singapore. I would literally go to Singapore and stop at the airport just to grab these chips,' says Gao. 'They're most famous for their salmon skin chips. Somehow, the way they fry it makes it super crispy and delicious, and they coat it in all kinds of flavors, like salted duck egg.' Why trust NBC Select? I'm a reporter at NBC Select who covers topics like health, fitness, home and kitchen. I interviewed Jing Gao, founder of Fly By Jing and cookbook author, about her favorite products to cook with at home.
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Asian supermarket customers brace for price hikes as Trump tariffs take effect
The steeper tariff rates Trump set for imports from nations he accused of unfair trade practices took effect first thing Wednesday along with a 10% baseline tax on products from the rest of the world. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Several countries in Asia have some of the largest levies, including South Korea (25%), Vietnam (47%) and Cambodia (49%). After China approved counter-tariffs and said it would fight a U.S. trade war 'to the end,' the president on Tuesday raised the rate on Chinese goods to 104%. Advertisement At a 99 Ranch Market less than a mile from the UCLA campus, one of the California-based chain's 58 stores, regular shopper Artis Chitchamnueng said he won't be able to go anywhere else to find the foods he likes if prices skyrocket. 'I think (Trump's) just like playing a lot of like mind games of just trying to like take control of the market and stuff like that,' Chitchamnueng, a part-time worker and entrepreneur, said. Many customers have said on social media they don't know if they will be able to continue doing their routine grocery shopping at 99 Ranch Market. Advertisement Even if mainstream grocers stock some of the same items, a lot of imported items are less expensive at the specialty supermarkets. An 18-ounce bottle of Lee Kum Kee Panda oyster sauce, for example, retails for $3.99 at 99 Ranch. The websites for Safeway and Walmart list the same bottle for $4.79 and $10.45, respectively. The stores stocking a wide range of noodles, dried vegetables, herbs and skin care products from China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam can be a source of comfort for immigrants and foreign students craving the tastes of home. Tony He, an international student at UCLA, said Trump's tariff policies confused him but he would continue shopping at 99 Ranch to get his groceries if prices increase. 'As long as I need Asian food, I usually come here,' He said. Shopping for culturally specific foods, drinks and condiments in the U.S. has come a long way from the once-meager offerings found in the 'ethnic food' aisles of American supermarkets. International supermarkets and small grocery stores across the country generated $55.8 billion in revenue last year, according to market research firm IBISWorld. The sector has recorded an annual growth rate of roughly 3% since 2019, and an IBISWorld forecast predicted revenue for grocery stores with international brands would go up to over $64 billion by 2029. Analysts attribute the increase in demand to the growth of Asian and Hispanic immigrant populations, as well as to the tastes of younger consumers who enjoy experiencing new flavors. Mass market stores and brands increasingly have stocked or created Americanized versions of Asian products to ride the trend. Advertisement The specialty rice used for sushi that mainstream supermarkets sell also is usually imported from South Korea, China or Japan, noted Nancy Qian, a professor of economics at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She thinks tariffs may lead consumers to find alternatives for their favorite brands. 'When my parents first came to America in the '80s from China, they couldn't really get the same type of rice as they did in China, So they switched to a different type of rice,' Qian said. 'I think families and restaurants and people, they'll do what it takes to make ends meet. And they'll substitute foods. They'll buy new foods.' Independent shops that are integral to smaller Asian American communities are also bracing for a hit. The owner of Not Just Spices, a tiny South Asian grocery in Providence, Rhode Island, said he was concerned about costs rising costs for everyday products such as basmati rice sourced from India and Pakistan, or the smaller-grained Kalijira rice from his native Bangladesh. 'When things are cheaper, people usually buy extra. Now they buy exactly what they need,' said Mohammed Islam, who has run Not Just Spices since 1998. 'People are scared of spending any money because they don't know what's going to be happening.' Trump announced a tariff of 37% on goods from Bangladesh, 26% on neighboring India's products, 29% on items from Pakistan and a whopping 44% on imports from the island country of Sri Lanka, known for its cinnamon and other spices. If he does have to raise prices as the tariff's impacts start to hit supplies, Islam trusts his customers won't blame him. Advertisement 'People don't complain because it's already in the news,' he said. 'It's not like I'm the one who is raising the price.' Customers at Hispanic supermarkets also may be shopping more carefully. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose a 25% tariff on most imports from Mexico. In Phoenix, roommates Andrew Colvin and Mario Aviles typically patronize Los Altos Ranch Market, where they say the bulk of the produce and snacks they buy are from Mexico. The sprawling supermarket, which includes a deli and a bakery, is one of the 115 stores the Heritage Grocers Group operates in six states. 'We expect pretty much everything to go up,' said Colvin, who was stocking up on Parrot canned coconut water, his favorite drink, in case the price goes up. 'I probably eat 14 avocados a week. There'll be a lot less of that.' Aviles doesn't want to shop elsewhere. If tariffs result in serious sticker shock, he is prepared to restrict himself instead. 'No more avocados, no more mangoes, no more orange,' Aviles said. Some experts say it wouldn't hurt to stock up on non-perishables within limits and individual household budgets. But shoppers need to avoid the 'panic buying' that accompanied the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could create shortages and cause additional price increases, Qian said. While it's not yet clear how much of the tariffs will get passed onto U.S. consumers, researchers say any price increases would disproportionately affect low-income households. 'These are regressive taxes. And for the elementary reason that affluent people do not spend 100% of their incomes and disadvantaged people do,' Steven Durlauf, director of the University of Chicago's Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility. Advertisement Northwestern University's Qian said the cumulative economic impacts of Trump administration tariffs may hold one possible silver lining if they bring people back to the cultural enclaves of major cities. 'If you think about the old Chinatowns, or the old, like, Little Italys of America,' she said. 'The reason that those places became really important for their communities was because that was the only place where you can get the thing you wanted.' Tang reported from Phoenix. Associated Press video producer Akira Kumamoto in Los Angeles, California contributed to this report. Associated Press writer Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.
