99 Ranch Market Releases Did You Eat Yet?, a Cookbook Celebrating Food as a Love Language

Written by CEO Alice Chen, the collection of 88 Pan-Asian recipes is available now as an e-book, with hardcover editions arriving this fall

BUENA PARK, Calif., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 99 Ranch Market, the nation's leading Pan-Asian grocery store chain, announced today the launch of Did You Eat Yet?, its first-ever cookbook that celebrates the quiet, everyday ways people show love through food. The book is available now as an e-book on Apple Books, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, with printed hardcover copies to follow later this fall.

In many Asian families, asking someone if they've eaten is shorthand for saying "I love you," which isn't always said out loud. Instead of talking about feelings or saying things directly, preparing a nourishing, delicious meal stands in as an expression of love and a desire to care for someone. 

While the introduction shares CEO Alice Chen's own story, the cookbook belongs to the entire 99 Ranch family. Did You Eat Yet? brings together 88 recipes spanning Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian, and other cuisines. Personal stories from 99 Ranch team members appear throughout its pages. Together, they turn the book into a collection of food memories and relationships across generations. While the pages are indexed for practical everyday use, each chapter captures a different way of caring for someone:

• The Pantry Guide – For those unfamiliar with the myriad specialty ingredients that are foundational to Asian cooking, the guide includes a tightly curated summary of different types of cooking wines and vinegars, rice and grains, aromatics, sauces, spices, and much more.
• Eat Before You Go – Classic Pan-Asian breakfast dishes to ensure you don't leave the house on an empty stomach.
• Try a Little Bit of Everything – Appetizers and small dishes ideal for sharing and sampling alongside your doting relatives.
• Finish Every Grain – Comforting rice dishes for everyone, but especially those who grew up with Asian relatives chiding them not to waste even a single grain.
• Stop Playing With Your Noodles – A collection of slurp-able recipes you'll devour before you have a chance to play with your food.
• I Saved You The Best Piece – Proteins and larger entrees. In many cultures, saving someone the best piece is the purest expression of love, reverence, and sacrifice.
• No Picking. Eat Your Vegetables – Iconic plant-centric dishes even the pickiest eater will enjoy.
• Drink It All: The Good Stuff's in the Soup – Broths, soups, stews, and curries to nourish the soul.
• Not Too Sweet – Desserts and treats that reflect the Asian ethos of restraint in confections.

Designed for real kitchens and real families, the recipes range from quick, 10-minute meals for busy weeknights to more involved dishes made for gathering around the table. Whether there are only a few minutes to get dinner on the table or an entire afternoon to prepare something special, Did You Eat Yet? gives home cooks flexible, family-friendly ways to care for the people they love through food.

For more than four decades, customers have shopped at 99 Ranch Market looking for ingredients to take care of someone they love. Many of them, like Chen herself, were raised by 99 Ranch and now shop for families of their own.

"The recipes in this book are deeply personal to me," said Chen. "They remind me of my own roots and of the generations of people across the 99 Ranch family, who work hard every day to bring these ingredients to our customers. 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?' 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."

About Tawa Supermarket, Inc.

Founded in 1984 by Roger Chen, an immigrant from Taiwan, Tawa Supermarket, Inc. is the parent company of 99 Ranch Market and the leading national Asian grocery store chain. With 66 stores across 11 states, the company has helped shape the popularity and accessibility of Asian cuisine in the U.S. 99 Ranch Market continues to serve new generations of shoppers with authenticity, innovation, and heart. For more information, visit www.99ranch.com.

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SOURCE 99 Ranch Market