Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published September 27, 2024 5:00 AM
Beef Stew Noodle from Phnom Penh Noodle Shack in Cambodia Town in Long Beach.
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Julie Leopo
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for LAist
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Topline:
Long Beach houses the largest population of Cambodians outside of the country, with Cambodia Town the location of some great restaurants. LAist food editor Gab Chabrán met up with James Tir, a Cambodian American food influencer, to learn more about the cuisine.
What’s on the menu? Charred fragrant beef sticks, Texas meets Cambodian BBQ, smooth and creamy noodles, a very bitter green and whole fried yellow catfish, to name a few.
How is it different to other South Asian cuisines? “It’s less about balance and subtlety and more about enjoying a broad range of experiences in one sitting, unabashedly playing with bitter and acrid flavors," Tir says.
I’ve lived in Long Beach for almost seven years. While I’ve eaten my way through many of the city’s food offerings, I’ve only made it to Cambodia Town's restaurants a handful of times.
Part of that was because it wasn’t something I knew much about. What should I order? How is it different from other Southeast Asian cuisines, like Vietnamese or Thai?
Unconsciously, I think I was holding out for a chance to experience the food firsthand from someone who understood its culture and origins.
So when James Tir, an Instagram food influencer, aka Long Beach Food Coma (LBFoodComa), reached out to ask if I wanted to take a tasting tour of Cambodia Town restaurants, I immediately said yes.
From left, LAist Food Editor Gab Chabrán and James Tir, food influencer known as LB Food Coma, share a meal at Monorom in Long Beach
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Julie Leopo
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Tir is Cambodian-American and grew up in Long Beach. He regularly covers a variety of food in the city and has the knowledge of Khmer cuisine I was looking for. He seemed the perfect guide.
When we met, he explained that Long Beach became a landing spot for Cambodians in the 1970s and 1980s after the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror. And, like many immigrants, they brought their traditional cuisine with them.
Cambodian cooking is influenced by rice fields, tropical jungles, and the Mekong River, using ingredients such as lemongrass, tamarind, and prahok (fermented mudfish).
Most people’s reference point for Southeast Asian cuisine is Thai or Vietnamese food, but Tir says Cambodian cuisine is distinctive.
“Its flavor profiles are less about balance and subtlety and more about enjoying a broad range of experiences in one sitting,” he says. “It unabashedly plays with bitter and acrid flavors and harmonizes with, rather than hides the intensity of, those dishes.”
With that quick education, we were on our way.
About Cambodia Town
Cambodia Town is a 1.2-mile stretch along Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero Avenues.
It’s home to the largest Khmer (also known as Cambodian; the two terms can be used interchangeably) population in the U.S.
Many Cambodians arrived in Long Beach as refugees in 1980s after the overthrow of the totalitarian Khmer Rouge regime.
Battambong BBQ (Smoked Twako)
Chef Chad Phuong serves up BBQ at his Battambong BBQ pop-up at Ten Mile Brewing in Long Beach.
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James:
It’s hard to talk about Cambodian-American cuisine without mentioning Chad “The Cambodian Cowboy” Phuong’s take on Cambodian-Texan fusion.
His hardened journey from the war-torn countryside of Cambodia to the panhandle of Texas to the streets of Long Beach has instilled a uniquely Khmer twang to the smoke-encrusted meats of Texan-style barbecue. His brisket is kissed by the heat of Kampot black pepper (a sharper sting compared to the more citrussy ubiquitous Tellicherry); his pork belly is lacquered in a soy sauce, scorched sugar, ginger, and star anise-tinged dance on your tongue, and his twako is the showstopper.
The twako is a Khmer descent sausage comprising ground beef, galangal, and rice. The galangal effuses a depth that’s more floral than its cousin, ginger, whilst the rice ferments the sausage, adding a nice acidic bite to the affair.
The casing has a snap, but its contents spill from the tiniest toothy massage. Traditionally grilled, Phuong tosses them into a smoker adding an extra layer to the complex sausage.
A combo plate of different meats is served at the Battambong BBQ pop-up at Ten Mile Brewing featuring Twako, a Cambodian sausage
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Gab:
I’d actually sampled Battambong BBQ before our tour. Phuong has staged several pop-ups all over Long Beach since 2022 and can also be found at Smorgasburg, LA, every Sunday.
While we were there specifically to try the twako, Phuong didn’t miss miss an opportunity to showcase his battalion of ‘cue consisting of beef sausage, brisket, and tri-tip. The pork belly ends stood out for me; small rectangular cubes of pork belly with a sweetly coated caramelized outside and a succulent inside.
I inhaled the twako, though. It contained earthy umami notes, similar to hearty mushrooms, recalling morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) but with more sweetness. The addition of smoke catapulted the sausage to the next level entirely.
Sitting on the northwest border of Cambodia Town is the tiny but mighty Phnom Penh Noodle Shack. Opening in 1985, it was the first Cambodian restaurant in the region, serving up piping hot bowls of noodles to the Khmer community. The eponymous shack is famous for one thing: Phnom Penh noodles, a regionally distinct rice noodle dish that is a close cousin of Vietnam’s phở.
However spectacular that dish may be, the beef stew noodles (khor ko) might be my personal favorite. It has colonial French roots, drawing inspiration from beef bourguignon, but is punctuated by the flavors of lemongrass, star anise, and fish sauce, neatly commingling with the acidity of tomato paste. This collagen-thickened broth suspends tender chunks of tripe, tendon, and braised beef between delicate strands of rice noodles.
When paired with cha quai, a crispy, broth-sopping length of deep-fried bread, the dish is elevated to another level of satisfaction.
The interior of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack in Long Beach.
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Julie Leopo
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Gab:
James really took me to school with this dish. I thought it would be similar to Taiwanese beef noodle soup, but this was not that. It was a large bowl of deep red broth filled with rice noodles and tripe. At this point, James looked up from the bowl with a soft smile and said, “It’s like menudo.”
James, of course, was right on the money with his Mexican soup reference. The thick cuts of tripe and chunks of beef sop up the tangy, starchy taste of the rice noodles, and the collagen from the tendon adds to the soup's viscosity, delivering spoonful after spoonful of hearty comfort. The result tastes and feels like it has exceptional therapeutic properties — perfect for curing a hangover.
Location: 1644 Cherry Ave., Long Beach
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pho Hong Phat (Banh Sung)
James:
Pho Hong Phat is a Cambodian-owned phở restaurant serving some of the best Vietnamese noodles in the city. What betrays the facade of the primarily Vietnamese menu is the “not pho” section, which includes Phnom Penh noodle soup, Hainan chicken rice, and banh sung.
Banh sung is the Cambodian cousin of the Vietnamese bún chả giò, both of which are a vermicelli noodle salad with fried egg rolls. The aforementioned shares a bowl with leafy greens, a wealth of herbs, shredded carrots, and grilled marinated pork, resulting in a salad that involves a carousel of textures.
Like the bún chả giò, it’s served with sweet fish sauce, chili sauce, and crushed peanuts. Unlike bún chả giò, the Khmer variant also incorporates more than a splash of coconut milk steeped with chopped green onion. The last ingredient mellows out the intensity of the fish sauce, creating an experience that coats the palate with a bright umami.
Banh sung dish from Pho Hong Phat
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Julie Leopo
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Gab:
I’ve eaten at Pho Hong Phat a few times, but I’ve inhaled the sweet smell of the pho broth simmering in the kitchen far more often.
That’s because they open at 8 a.m. for folks looking for hot breakfast soup. When I stop for coffee at the cafe across the street, Good Time, (a local favorite amongst locals, including myself and James), I often get an enticing whiff of the day’s cooking wafting over.
I had only eaten pho during my previous visits, but James opened my eyes to the “not pho” section featuring Khmer options. Adding the pleasant flavors of coconut milk brought a new depth to the cold rice noodle dish. The smooth texture and creaminess provided a nice balance with a mix of greens, peanuts, and sliced bits of eggroll, which are always a winner.
The exterior of Pho Hong Phat in Long Beach.
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Julie Leopo
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Location: 3243 E Anaheim St, Long Beach
Hours: Monday through Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Wednesday
A & J Seafood Shack (Lemongrass Beefsticks)
James:
At one point in my life, I worked many years both front and back of the house at Hak Heang, a banquet-style Cambodian-Chinese seafood joint in Long Beach that served as a hub for the Khmer community since the early 90s. Be it weddings or graduation parties, it was a special occasion spot, where you’d get wok-fired lobster or crab that’s been tossed in a medley of jalapeño heat and MSG to flex your wealth while downing generous shots of Hennessy cognac.
A & J takes this concept and serves these revered dishes (sans cognac, as far as I know) out of takeout boxes — allowing you to enjoy these special occasion experiences in a more casual context.
Though a seafood joint serving some Viet-Cajun boils, they are Khmer through and through, embedding both lemongrass beef sticks and twako on their seafood-studded roll call.
The beef sticks, in particular, are an item found on most Khmer menus. The beef is marinated in kroueng, a mortar-and-pestle bashed paste of lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, garlic, shallots, kaffir lime leaves and chilies that’s pervasive throughout the cuisine. It’s then skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked over an open flame. The outcome is a supple treat that is crispy from the char of the grill.
It’s hard to beat the time-tested formula of meat on a stick.
The exterior of A&J Seafood Shack in Long Beach.
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Julie Leopo
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LAist
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The Beef Stick Rice dish from A&J Seafood Shack
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Julie Leopo
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Gab:
I featured A&J in my Cheap Fast Eats Long Beach edition. It’s a great option for their Cambodian dishes and various pan-Asian-inspired dishes, including their garlic shrimp plates, which take nods from shrimp trucks from the North Shore area of Oahu.
In my previous visits, I’ve opted for the beef stick sandwich, made with a demi baguette-style roll (similar to Viet Bahn mi or Khmer num pang) containing two beef sticks, green pickled papaya slaw, and Sriracha mayo. Per James's recommendation, we had the beef sticks on their own over a bed of rice and a side of slaw.
The ultra-savory flavors of the aromatic beef, mixed with the light char and forkfuls of jasmine rice, make for a great light meal.
Location: 3201 E Anaheim St., Long Beach
Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monorom Cambodian Restaurant (Prahok Ktis)
James:
Monorom, like A & J, also has a fantastic lemongrass beef stick. But they also have a catalog of traditional eats such as the prahok ktis (or prahok creme as they have it labeled on their menu).
One of the most common ways food is consumed in Cambodia is to have an assortment of in-season vegetables and a dip, precisely what you’d get with prahok ktis.
It’s ground pork married with the pungency of prahok paste, the omnipresent fermented mudfish product, and the creaminess of coconut milk. The prahok ktis are presented with a shallow basket carrying thin cross sections of raw Chinese eggplant, Thai eggplant, cucumber, yardlong beans, and cabbage.
Monorom carries a similar vibe with its seating setup. During our stop there, a multigenerational family was enjoying a meal together, adding to the personal nature of the atmosphere.
The extensive menu felt overwhelming. Luckily, we already had a plan to start with the prahok ktis.
The cut-up raw vegetables come with a side of the reddish-orange prahok paste containing loose bits of ground pork, which makes for an excellent dip. It made me think of that Northern Thai dish, nam phrig noom (a roasted green chili dip) served with crispy frieded pork skins, which is go-to order of mine and my family at Renu Narkron in nearby Norwalk.
Location: 2150 E Anaheim St., Long Beach
Hours: Monday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Wednesday.
Crystal Thai Cambodian (Trei Aundain Chean)
Crystal Thai in Long Beach
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Julie Lepo
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James:
Much more Khmer than Thai, Crystal Thai Cambodian is the quintessential spot for experiencing a traditional Cambodian meal — things you’d find in a Khmer home, where parents and grandparents have preserved culinary memories of a pre-genocide Cambodia.
Their menu is a voluminous encyclopedia of the Khmer greatest hits, ranging from the backyard party noodle nom p’jok (a thick rice vermicelli noodle dish that’s beset by a turmeric-stained catfish broth) to duck feet salad (a mélange of saccharine-vinegar slaw dotted with the cartilaginous webbed feet of waterfowl).
When I’m looking to impress the adventurous, I always order the trei aundain chean, which translates to whole fried yellow catfish. The catfish arrives at the table with a bouquet of greens, including slivers of green leaf lettuce, Vietnamese coriander, fish mint, bean sprouts, cucumber, and branches of sadao—the latter of which are the flower buds of the neem tree. Imagine the pithy florets of broccoli but with a medicinally astringent flavor. It’s bitter. Incredibly so.
You begin this meal by tearing into the catfish, peeling away the chicharrón crispy skin, and revealing a brilliant yellow flesh. The flesh is flaky, moist, and surprisingly clean-tasting despite the jaundiced pallor — not fishy. Then, you nest the contents into a leaf of lettuce, stack the herbs high, and roll yourself a wrap.
The wrap is accompanied by a sour and sweet tamarind sauce and green mango salad, creating a Russian doll-like flavor experience of slowly unveiling the entire roster of taste with each bite.
Mekong River catfish dish from Crystal Thai
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Julie Leopo
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Gab:
I had heard tales of Crystal Thai and its bodacious bowls of nom p’jok, the yellow curry dish, for a while now. But James was down to explore the menu a little more.
I can’t remember the last time I had a whole catfish (maybe never, filets, sure). Arriving at your table the fish has been scored and deep-fried, along with a separate plate of greens. The sadao was the standout, given its striking appearance resembling wild baby broccoli. I assembled the the D.I.Y. lettuce wraps with torn chunks of the fish mixed with tamarind sauce and mango salad. It all paired together. Nothing short of memorable.
A Compton-born coffee pop-up thrives in a Guisados
By Isaac Ceja | The LA Local
Published May 8, 2026 8:00 AM
Pablomanuel Maldonado, owner of the Caffeinated Cart, poses for a portrait at Guisados in Pasadena.
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Isaac Ceja
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The LA Local
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Topline:
Local taco chain Guisados partnered with the Caffeinated Cart to bring its coffee to the people of Pasadena in a space where owner Pablomanuel Maldonado can chat up his customers and serve his Latino-inspired signature coffees.
About the drinks: Nearly all of his drinks have names in Spanish, a nod to his Mexican roots. By far his best seller is the “Cereal Killer,” a cinnamon brown sugar latte with a cereal garnish, where customers can choose between Cocoa Puffs or Cap’N Crunch Crunch Berries.
The backstory: The Caffeinated Cart began in 2020 when Maldonado started selling bottled lattes in his hometown of Compton before eventually popping up at local markets like Angel City Market and the Beach Flea.
Just inches away from where workers warm up handmade tortillas at Guisados in Pasadena, Pablomanuel Maldonado puts the finishing touches on different drinks before calling out to his customers.
“Provecho,” Maldonado, owner of coffee pop-up the Caffeinated Cart, says to each customer before quickly redirecting his attention to the next, treating each one like he’s known them for years.
Local taco chain Guisados partnered with the Caffeinated Cart to bring its coffee to the people of Pasadena in a space where Maldonado can chat up his customers and serve his Latino-inspired signature coffees.
Nearly all of his drinks have names in Spanish, a nod to his Mexican roots. By far his best seller is the “Cereal Killer,” a cinnamon brown sugar latte with a cereal garnish, where customers can choose between Cocoa Puffs or Cap’N Crunch Crunch Berries.
Pablomanuel Maldonado, owner of the Caffeinated Cart, prepares a Cereal Killer at Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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The LA Local
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Though he’s only been operating at this location for the past three weeks, small touches — like Virgen de Guadalupe candles, a new coffee blend from local roaster Picaresca and a shiny new drink menu on the wall — make his corner of the restaurant feel welcoming.
“For the first time, I don’t feel tired. I feel mentally at peace, and it’s like, ‘Damn, this is what I love doing,’ you know?” Maldonado told The LA Local. “I get excited to come here. I get excited to get out of bed.”
Maldonado recently transitioned from working full-time at Bristol Farms during the week and doing coffee pop-ups on weekends to serving coffee full-time at Guisados.
The Caffeinated Cart began in 2020 when Maldonado started selling bottled lattes in his hometown of Compton before eventually popping up at local markets like Angel City Market and the Beach Flea.
Only a couple of years after he started, Maldonado was selling out at the pop-ups. Today, he has over 23,000 followers on Instagram.
Maldonado’s partnership with Guisados began in 2025 via an Instagram story when owner Armando De La Torre Jr. put out a call for coffee pop-ups at his Guisados location in Long Beach.
A photo illustration of the Caffeinated Cart’s most popular drink the Cereal Killer, a cinnamon brown sugar latte with a cereal garnish, at Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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After connecting with De La Torre, Maldonado began popping up outside the Long Beach location for six months. But Maldonado said permitting issues with the city’s Health Department forced him to stop.
Nearly a year after their initial collaboration, De La Torre invited Maldonado to Pasadena to show off the space he had in mind for him, but the Caffeinated Cart owner had mixed emotions.
Maldonado was concerned about going to Pasadena and leaving behind the community and regular customers he had in Long Beach, but he was excited by the idea of finally having a physical space, even if it wasn’t completely his own.
Pablomanuel Maldonado, owner of the Caffeinated Cart, hugs his former boss who visited him at his new coffee residency at Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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“We’re in a world where… everybody gatekeeps and then everybody stops each other from growing, and coffee’s been so welcoming, man,” Maldonado said. “The community I’ve built around me has just been so welcoming, and a lot of people just truly do trust us.”
Leo Abularach, co-owner of Picaresca in Boyle Heights, has been a longtime supporter of the Caffeinated Cart. He told The LA Local that he loaned Maldonado over $3,000 worth of equipment to help him get started. Abularach even let him use his business delivery service, so Maldonado would no longer have to run to the store for things like extra milk.
“He has always been there for Picaresca. He is part of our family,” Abularach said of Maldonado. “He is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I think his personality is one of the reasons why people love the Caffeinated Cart.”
Pablomanuel Maldonado, owner of the Caffeinated Cart, pours coffee beans into a grinder at Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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Customers Adriana Acevedo and Eilene Gonzalez saw the Caffeinated Cart on TikTok. When they realized it was around the corner from their workplace, they decided to give it a try.
“It’s amazing. It tastes really good. Like, no notes. Amazing,” Acevedo said after finally trying the coffee in real life on a recent Wednesday morning.
“Yeah, for first timers, now I think we’re going to be returners,” Gonzalez added with a laugh.
Pablomanuel Maldonado, right, talks with customers Adriana Acevedo, left, and Eilene Gonzalez, centert, at the Caffeinated Cart inside of Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
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Isaac Ceja
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The two praised the welcoming service offered by Maldonado, and after Acevedo mentioned she loves caffeine, Maldonado even gave her an additional shot.
“I’m all about making it affordable. I don’t charge extra for alternative milks. You want extra shots? Bro, get extra shots. I’m not going to charge you extra,” Maldonado said.
“We’re all for the people,” he said. “We want to make sure people can still come back and not have to feel like ‘Was the $7 coffee worth it?’”
Though it was only a Wednesday, customers kept trickling in, keeping him busy throughout his shift, and even Maldonado’s old boss from Bristol Farms, Dina Urquilla, came to support.
Maldonado said he’s still saving to open up his own shop in the future, but for now, he says he looks forward to making coffee every day in his corner of Pasadena.
A view of some of the trinkets at the Caffeinated Cart inside of Guisados in Pasadena, Calif. on Mar. 4, 2026.
Warnings and advisories: Extreme Heat Watch Sunday morning through Tuesday evening in Coachella Valley
What to expect: Some morning clouds followed by a sunny afternoon. Temperatures to reach the mid-80s for some areas and up into the triple digits in some parts of Coachella Valley.
Read on ... for where it's going to be the warmest today.
QUICK FACTS
Today’s weather: Sunny, partly cloudy some areas
Beaches: Mid-60s to low 70s
Mountains: Mid-70s to low 80s
Inland: 82 to 89 degrees
Warnings and advisories: Extreme Heat Watch Sunday morning through Tuesday evening in Coachella Valley
Warm temperatures are on tap again today as we head into a toasty weekend with temps set to reach the triple digits in desert communities.
L.A. County beaches will see daytime highs from 67 to 72 degrees. It'll be between 69 and 76 degrees along the Orange County coast. More inland areas like downtown L.A., Hollywood and Anaheim will see temperatures from 75 to 81 degrees.
Meanwhile, the valleys will see varying temperatures. Areas closer to the coast will see highs from 78 to 83 degrees, and further inland, temps will stay in the upper 80s, up to 89 degrees.
Meanwhile in Coachella Valley, temperatures will rise to 101 to 106 degrees.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the valleys will reach the 90s for Mother's Day, up to 100 degrees in the Antelope Valley too. Come Sunday, an Extreme Heat Warning kicks in for the Coachella Valley, where temperatures will stay in the low 100s, with up to 109 degrees possible. Make sure to stay hydrated!
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Before today, the D Line ran until Koreatown, largely parallel to the B Line.
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AURELIA VENTURA
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Topline:
The first phase of the Los Angeles Metro D Line extension opens today, with the public able to start riding to the three new stations at 12:30 p.m.
The new stops: The three new Wilshire Boulevard stops are located at La Brea and Fairfax avenues and La Cienega Boulevard. The first phase of the extension will stretch D Line service from downtown L.A. to Beverly Hills. Before today, the D Line ran until Koreatown, largely parallel to the B Line.
Free fares: The entire Metro system — including bus, rail, bike share and Metro Micro — will be free starting Friday morning through early morning Monday. If you’re using Metro Bike Share, make sure to input the code 050826.
Celebrations at the new stations: KCRW DJs and food vendors will be at each of the new stations and the Western Avenue station in Koreatown. Throughout May and June, there will be activations at the new stations, including salsa dancing and basket weaving classes.
More to come: Two additional extensions of the D Line, currently forecast to open in 2027, will add four additional stations through Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood Village.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published May 8, 2026 5:00 AM
Jessica Wang (center) stands with her mother, Peggy (left), and father, Willie Wang (right), at the Gu Grocery storefront in Chinatown.
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Daniel Nguyen
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Courtesy Gu Grocery
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Topline:
Jessica Wang has been waiting nearly two years for the City of Los Angeles to approve permits for Gu Grocery, a Chinese-Taiwanese grocery store and community hub in Chinatown.
Why it matters: In a neighborhood where half of residents are low-income and one in five are seniors 65 and older, Chinatown has lost multiple grocery stores in recent years — including its last two full-service markets in 2019 and Yue Wa Market in fall 2024. Gu Grocery would be the first to offer EBT-eligible prepared foods, filling a critical gap for seniors and low-income families who rely on walking to shop.
Why now: Wang launched a GoFundMe campaign in mid-April after spending more than $200,000 on a buildout, permits and rent on a space she can't operate. The community response was swift — 134 donors raised nearly $12,000 in two weeks — but money can't solve her core problem: she's still waiting for at least seven final city inspections with no opening date in sight.
What's next: Wang hopes to open by Father's Day — her general contractor dad's birthday — with a phased approach: prepared foods only through a takeout window, then slowly stocking shelves as revenue allows.
Jessica Wang has experienced delay after delay for nearly two years as she tried to open Gu Grocery in Chinatown. Her father, a contractor, had told her it would take nine months.
Instead, she says, there have been issues with city permits, inspectors, inaccurate information, illness and wayward appliance installers which have pushed things back.
The community didn't take nearly as long. In two weeks, 134 donors contributed nearly $12,000 to keep Wang afloat. But money can't solve her problem — she still needs the city's approval to open the doors.
Wang signed the lease at the end of 2023, envisioning a Chinese-Taiwanese grocery store and community hub where seniors could use EBT to buy fresh tofu, where kids from nearby elementary schools could stop by after class, and where her mother, Peggy, could teach neighbors how to make their grandmother's pickles.
Now, more than two years into a five-year lease, and nearly out of money after paying for permits, buildout, and rent on a space she can't operate, Wang launched a GoFundMe campaign a few weeks ago. The response showed the community believes in Gu Grocery and wants to see it succeed. But she's still waiting for at least seven final inspections by the city before she can open.
The story of Gu
The name "Gu" carries layered meaning: the character 菇 means "mushroom" in Chinese, a traditional symbol of prosperity, while the sound "gu" also means "auntie" in Mandarin — honoring intergenerational caretakers. Wang's mission for the space is to provide a place to purchase Chinese-Taiwanese pantry staples and prepared foods, and to host community workshops.
The communal aspect is central to Wang's vision of social entrepreneurship, not solely focused on profit. In addition to workshops, Gu Grocery plans to accept EBT and offer senior discounts for those on fixed incomes.
"I wanted a space where I could share knowledge and share culture and also just learn from the community," Wang said.
Ultimately, she hopes to convert the store into a worker-owned co-op.
Wang grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and worked as a pastry chef at San Francisco's State Bird Provisions before a pre-diabetic diagnosis at age 29 prompted her return to L.A. She began volunteering with API Forward Movement, a local nonprofit focused on health equity and food access in AAPI communities, and saw firsthand the need during COVID food distributions at L.A. State Historic Park.
Chinatown had lost its last two full-service grocery stores in 2019.Last fall, the neighborhood lost another: Yue Wa Market, a small produce shop that had served residents for 18 years before rising rent and pandemic losses forced it to shut its doors. The closures hit especially hard in a neighborhood where, according to American Community Survey data, half of the residents are low-income and one in five are seniors 65 and older — many of whom rely on walking to shop.
Jessica Wang (center, in black) and her mother Peggy (left, in white and red) smile while serving customers at a farmer's market pop-up for Gu Grocery.
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Daniel Nguyen
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Courtesy Gu Grocery
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Permitting woes
Much of bringing Gu Grocery to reality has been made possible by support from Wang's friends and family. Her father, Willie Wang, serves as her general contractor. When plans were submitted to the city in March 2024, he told her the buildout would take nine months if everything went smoothly.
Instead, she’s experienced delays from all directions, from slow bureaucracy, to issues with contractors. A hood installation contractor rescheduled multiple times, she said, then doubled his price the day before a rescheduled appointment. Drywall contractors said their workers had been detained by ICE and never returned.
The process hasn't just taken time — it's been expensive. One inspector approved a makeup air unit for the kitchen hood system, she said, only to have a senior inspector overturn the decision and order a complete replacement at nearly $6,000. Her father paid out of pocket — even as he was recovering from March surgery to remove a cancerous lung growth.
"Who would have thought that something an inspector asked us to do would be completely overturned by another inspector?" Wang said. "That's just so wild."
LAist has reached out to the city's Department of Building Services for comment but has not heard back.
The financial toll
Wang estimates she's spent more than $200,000 so far — more than $100,000 on buildout and permits alone, plus a full year of rent on a space she can't operate, equipment, insurance and taxes.
She draws no income from Gu Grocery. To cover personal expenses, she teaches fermentation workshops through her other business, Picklepickle, though that work has been inconsistent lately. Her health insurance doubled this year. The GoFundMe money, she said, is a "rainy day fund" in case she needs it to pay future bills.
The financial strain has touched her entire family. Her mother, who received a small inheritance when Wang's grandparents died, got scammed late last year trying to grow that money to help with the store. Targeted through online ads, she was convinced by an "investment tutor" based in Taiwan to hand over cash to a stranger in a parking lot.
"I didn't realize this would become part of what it's like to have aging parents in the age of technology," Wang said. "But it's scary how they get targeted."
Black sesame noodles from Gu Grocery's popup menu. Wang uses black sesame for higher nutritional value and plans to offer the dish as one of the prepared foods when the store opens.
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Aunty J
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Courtesy Gu Grocery
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Rice balls with house pickles from a Gu Grocery pop-up. Wang has been teaching fermentation and pickling workshops for 15 years and plans to serve pickles alongside all meals when the store opens.
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Aunty J.
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Courtesy Gu Grocery
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Addressing Chinatown's needs
Once Gu Grocery opens, it won't operate as a full-service market — there won't be a meat counter. Instead, it will function like a corner store with a focus on healthy prepared foods: butter mochi, sesame noodles and daily congee.
"Something that Chinatown has never had was prepared food that is EBT eligible," Wang said.
In 2020, Wang surveyed seniors through API Forward Movement's Tai Chi fitness program to understand their shopping habits following the closure of local grocery stores. Many told her they now ride the bus to Super King on San Fernando Road in Glendale, nearly 5 miles away, for produce deals, or rely on family members to drive them to 99 Ranch in Alhambra. Some grow their own food in gardening plots, Wang said, "but they can't produce everything they need."
Willie Wang (left), Jessica Wang (center), and Peggy Wang (right) pose inside Gu Grocery. The signs display the store's values in both English and Chinese — Willie's reads "body health" and Peggy's reads "mushroom auntie," playing on the dual meaning of "gu."
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Daniel Nguyen
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Courtesy Gu Grocery
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The community response
When she launched her Go FundMe in mid-April, she was overwhelmed by the response. "I have a hard time asking for help," said Wang. "So actually receiving help, it's very moving."
The donors range from former pop-up customers and friends to a range of assorted well-wishers — a musician who had her food once at an event, fellow food business owners, farmer's market regulars and even her insurance agent.
"The generosity is beyond my expectations," Wang said. "Some of these people only had my food once. People are showing their support truly in a personal way and really believing in the vision."
The GoFundMe money helps Wang stay "afloat for now," but she's had to rethink her opening strategy. She won't be able to afford full inventory when she opens. Instead, she plans a phased opening: prepared foods only, served through a takeout window, then using revenue to slowly stock shelves with the retail items she originally envisioned.
The community raised more than $14,000 in three weeks. After nearly two years of delays, Wang is still waiting for permits. She hopes to open by Father's Day — her general contractor dad's birthday. But she's learned to expect the unexpected.
Many donors sent her direct messages saying simply: "We got this, Jess, we got you."
