Michael Y. Park
Michael Y. Park is a writer living in Brooklyn. He has eaten scorpions and grubs in Manhattan, picnicked with the king and queen of Malaysia, dined on caribou under the watchful eyes of a polar bear in Manitoba, gagged down gasoline clams at a barbecue in North Korea, and traded nuts and fruits with Hazara tribesmen in the Khyber Pass. Loves cold meatloaf.
It's a Family Affair (Even if You're Not Blood-Related) at Seattle's Oriental Mart
Oriental Mart in Seattle serves the exact kind of food you're looking for. Trust us.
Making the Unapproachable Approachable: How Radiator Whiskey Bar Designs Its Menu
The duo behind Radiator Whiskey care deeply about their customers' experiences.
How Pike Place Fish Market Uses Its Fame to Encourage Sustainability
For decades, Pike Place Fish Market has been more than the centrally located seafood stall at the venerable Pike Place Market—its acrobatic fish and fishmongers have been the unofficial symbols of the place, and by extension the city of Seattle, and fish retailers, everywhere.
How Rachel's Ginger Beer Makes Sure Customers Walk Away Happier Than When They Came
There's no secret formula to the success of Rachel's Ginger Beer, and the Rachel in question is the first to admit it.
Seattle's Pike Place Market Grows by Staying the Same
Today, Pike Place Market includes 250 commercial businesses, 84 farmers, 225 craftspeople, and 350 residents (of whom only 20 percent pay market-rate rent).
Building the Kind of Restaurant to Come Back to, Week After Week
Acorn, a wood-fired restaurant in The Source in Denver, Colorado knows how to cultivate loyalty.
Boxcar Coffee Roasters Has Perfected the Art of Brewing a Cuppa Joe at High Altitude
Go behind the scenes at Boxcar Coffee Roasters and its high-altitude brewing method, called the "Boilermakr," at the Source in Denver, Colorado.
From Bicycles to Baking: How Steve Scott Is Changing Denver's Bread Culture
Get to know the dough at Babettes at The Source in Denver. It'll do you good.
Western Daughters, a Butcher Shop All About Transparency
Western Daughters is a butcher shop that emphasizes transparency and sustainably raised meat.
The Source in Denver: A Newer Take on the Classic Artisan Food Market
The Source in Denver: An artisan food market occupying a former 1880's brick foundry building in the River North District.
Heirloom Beans Get a New Life at Rancho Gordo in SF's Ferry Building
How Steve Sando launched Rancho Gordo and changed beans forever.
How Far West Fungi Sprouted Up Inside SF's Ferry Building
How's San Francisco’s Far West Fungi came to sell mushrooms inside the Ferry Building.
How San Francisco's Ferry Building Is a Local Grocer for the Entire City
At the Ferry Building, tenants are carefully selected to be able to contribute to the San Francisco grocery shopper's basket.
How Sticky Rice Brought the Street Stalls of Thailand to Customers in L.A.
If there's one thing David Tewasart is trying to accomplish with Sticky Rice, it's to personally guarantee that his customers experience the closest they can to an actual Thai street-stall meal, in Los Angeles.
After 56 Years, the Menu Stays the Same at LA’s China Cafe
The China Cafe opened in LA's Grand Central Market in 1959, and nothing has changed.
Eat Oysters Inside an Oyster at Grand Central Market’s Oyster Gourmet
"Oysters belong in the front of the house, and you have to talk to the customer, because that’s where you make the sale."
Fish in a Flash: Mark Peel's New Seafood-Themed Bombo in Grand Central Market
Mark Peel's seafood-themed Bombo in Grand Central Market in Los Angeles uses steam kettles to cook fish fast.
L.A.'s 98-Year-Old Food Hall Is More Alive Than Ever
Everyone seems to agree that it's been a wild couple years for Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles.
How Rappahannock Oyster Bar Became a Communal Hub for DC's Union Market
The staff at Rappahannock Oyster Bar get a thrill from seeing customers savor every bite.
How Dolcezza Gelato Keeps Growing Without Losing Its Personal Touch
Dolcezza started out in 2004 as a humble crack-in-the-wall store in Georgetown manned by a couple who freely admitted they had no idea what they doing. Now it's a wildly popular gelato empire that's spreading across the mid-Atlantic.