Our Blog
Supporting Local AAPI Business: Rose City Pizza
Rose City Pizza offers a unique experience for pizza lovers with a variety of signature culinary creations.
Since it opened its doors in 2009, Brian Nittayo owns and operates Rose City Pizza in Rosemead as well as its second location which opened in September 2021 in the city of Covina.
Turkey with a Side of Fried Rice: How Asians Celebrate Thanksgiving
Like others of Asian heritage, I spent May reflecting on how far I and other Asians have come, where we are now, and where we still need to be. I am proud to call LA County, home. For me and other Asian immigrants like me, there is no other home. As a refugee born after the Vietnam War, my family and I fled from communism by fishing boat to Hong Kong and ultimately, to LA County. We rode the rising tide of freedom out of Vietnam and followed our dreams to the U.S., where we settled in LA County in the 1980’s largely due to the diversity of the region and the Asian populations that lived here.
Supporting Local AAPI Business: FishWives
Fishwives is an incredible, Asian owned, small business by Tim Tang serving up fantastic New England style seafood in Old Town Pasadena. It is known for classic seafood dishes like amazing lobster rolls and fish and chips, and reimagined classics like fried oyster deviled eggs! Fishwives opened in 2017 and has remained successful when other seafood restaurants in Pasadena like McCormick & Schmick's had to close their doors. Aside from operating a successful restaurant, Tim is giving back to the community by hiring justice impacted individuals and former substance abusers to work in his restaurant and learn the restaurant business. He's a big believer in giving people a second chance who want it!
Supporting Local: Wolfies Hot Chicken
Owned by Chef Richard Chang, his wife Janelle Hu, and their friend Jason Eisner, Wolfies is a vegan fried chicken shop in Highland Park. Richard grew up with three sisters, though he was the only kid in the kitchen helping his mother, who was proud of her eager rice maker and seaweed toaster. After stints in teaching and business, Richard’s true fulfillment comes from becoming a father and enjoying how his sons devour the delicious meals he prepares for them. Their happiness encourages his journey to share his culinary passion with others, which has veered toward the vegan end of the spectrum after experiencing a life-threatening heart attack in 2017.
By day, Janelle serves as a Development Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice, LA, one of the nation's largest civil rights and legal services community-based nonprofits. By night, she brings her 20 years of campaign, project management, policy-making, and fundraising skills to oversee the administration and operations of Wolfies, which is committed to partnerships with organizations like Support + Feed to positively impact the climate crisis and combat food insecurity by providing plant-based meals to underserved communities throughout Southern California.
Supporting Local: B-Man’s Teriyaki & Burgers
Byron Takeuchi, “The B-Man” grew up in the restaurant business where he watched his dad, Bob, create the "Teriyaki Bowl". Having worked at his parent’s Spike's Teriyaki Bowl since they opened in 1976, Byron graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Hospitality Management and a minor in Business. He began experimenting with various other recipes that didn't quite fit into the well-established menu at Spike's.