Fani and Peter Gau own and operate the San Luis Oriental Market, a specialty and import grocery store in San Luis Obispo, California. Peter’s parents Sim and Meng Gau founded the shop in 1992 and ran it until 2017, when he and his wife Fani took over. Since then, they’ve built a customer base that includes a new generation of customers. The market always offered Asian sauces, spices, noodles and condiments, as well as some decor and seasonal goods. Under Fani’s leadership,, the shop now sells many more snacks, drinks, Asian veggies, and prepared foods like bao. During the interview, the Gau’s loaded me up with a bagful of snacks and treats, like sweet basil Lay’s potato chips, Thai boba iced tea, and I even get to try Steak-flavored Cheetos on the mic. I learned about how their young family began, how they’ve made it through the pandemic thus far, and how the recipe for Mom’s crab dish is strictly off-limits.
Instagram: @slorientalmarket
LEGENDS: Pioneering Rhône varieties and regenerative agriculture with Tablas Creek Vineyard proprietor Jason Haas
LEGENDS: Novo, Luna Red and Robin’s owners Shanny Covey and Robin Covey
Quickie, the delivery app with its wheels on the ground and its mind in the gutter
Composer Brook Munro talks wine and music
Kehoe Carbon Cookware and the legacy of durable heirlooms with Dennis and Kasey Kehoe, Los Osos
Lab-grown meat at the intersection of tech and ethics with Dr. Deb Donig, Cal Poly and UC Berkeley
Food system repair with Shakira Miracle of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network
My Friend Mike’s Mike Radakovich talks pizza
Hot Vegan Takeout with Matt Martinez of Ziggy’s, SLO and Paso Robles
The Paso Robles Distillery Trail and FarmsteadEd with Lynette Sonne
From sushi to charcuterie with Beerwood’s Jess Saddoff-Bauer and Annie Steinmann
Author Dianne Jacob on the fate of food writing
Happy meals®, soda, Disneyland, and grief with Alexandra Wallace
Pinot noir, baseball, and Armenian roots with winemaker Ryan Deovlet
Bonus episode: Matt Brynildson (Firestone Walker Brewing), Max Montgomery (There Does Not Exist) and Jack Dyer (Topa Topa Brewing) at Consumed Live
The Mountain Air owners Josh and Lindsey Haring on camping and cooking
Coffee roasting in Oceano with John Quint of Deltina Coffee Roasters
Teaching Asian cooking with Annie Yu, San Luis Obispo
Chef/owner Rusty Quirk, Linnaea’s Cafe, SLO
Functional nutritional therapy with Stephanie Killen of Sound Body Nutrition, SLO
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
50 Tastes Of Gray
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
The Recipe with Kenji and Deb
Black Beauty
The War of the Worlds
The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters
Be My Guest with Ina Garten