99 Ranch Market has launched Did You Eat Yet?, its first cookbook, written by CEO Alice Chen and celebrating the everyday ways people show love through food. The book is available now as an e-book on Apple Books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with hardcover copies to follow later this fall.
The title draws on a common experience in many Asian families, where asking someone if they’ve eaten stands in for saying “I love you” out loud. The book brings together 88 recipes spanning Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian and other cuisines, with personal stories from 99 Ranch team members throughout.
Organized by ‘care’
Chapters are organized around ways of caring for someone, from “Eat Before You Go” breakfast dishes and “I Saved You the Best Piece” proteins to “Not Too Sweet” desserts reflecting what the grocer calls the Asian ethos of restraint in confections. A pantry guide walks newcomers through foundational specialty ingredients, including cooking wines, vinegars, rice and grains, aromatics, sauces and spices, and recipes range from 10-minute weeknight meals to dishes made for gathering.
“For many of us, our parents and grandparents aren’t used to saying ‘I love you’ out loud, but they always show their love by making our favorite dishes, cutting fruit for us, or simply asking, ‘Did you eat yet?'” Chen said. “Those small acts of care stay with us, and we pass them on. My hope is that this book helps families create those same moments of love around their own tables.”
Founded in 1984 by Taiwanese immigrant Roger Chen, parent company Tawa Supermarket Inc. operates 66 stores in 11 states and describes 99 Ranch Market as the nation’s leading Asian grocery chain.
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