Five Small Morsels From San Luis Obispo’s Poke Chef and Menka Ramen
When you bring your A game time after time, sometimes it’s taken for granted. But owners Will and Pinky Yan’s Poke Chef in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, and Menka Ramen in San Luis Obispo, deserve return trips for their Asian flavors paired with fresh ingredients. Here Will shares a bit about the history, and the future, of the restaurants.
When we were first dating I invited Pinky to have dinner at my place.
- The first meal I cooked for her was quite simple. I started with a local, fresh fruit salad with balsamic vinegar, then the main course — a nice cut steak with just salt and pepper — and finished with a dessert wine. I was blown away by her smile. I could tell I did something magical to warm someone’s heart with the food that I created. From that day on I have cooked most of our daily meals.
- I was born in Hong Kong and then raised in San Francisco since 1987. I grew up in a restaurant family where most family members have owned or worked in the restaurants. To be honest I never really liked the industry growing up. Watching my mom supporting us by working two restaurant jobs was no joke. All my life I understood not to take my mom’s hard-earned money for granted.
3. Pinky and I started our first food business selling Asian fusion stir-fry out of a food truck in Berkeley, Calif. The first brick-and-mortar restaurant we opened was Poke Chef at California Boulevard in 2016.
4. Logistics and food sourcing are a struggle for us. We need to have [a] good network and relationships with suppliers to ensure we are getting the freshest and the best products.
5 Starting a business is not the most difficult part; maintaining the business is the hardest. It is like raising a little baby and watching it grow into different stages every day, with the future unforeseeable. I just have to always look for the best daily solution in every aspect of the business.
