Fly By Jing Founder’s New Retail Project Will Further ‘Evolve Culture Through Taste’
To further her quest of introducing more consumers to authentic Sichuan cuisine, Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao is entering the retail space with Suá Kitchen and Superette, a grab-and-go market of Sichuan-inspired prepared foods and retail goods.
Gao is a minority investor and “creative partner” in the business, which is being led by content creator Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth. Located in the Larchmont Village area of Los Angeles, the Superette is on track to open later this Summer. Suá’s core assortment will be grab-and-go, refrigerated items with an additional coffee and tea bar and a small marketplace of CPG products made by AAPI-led companies. All meals, snacks and sides, prepared daily by Suá employees at a separate kitchen space, are designed to be consumed off-premise.
“We want [to use] super fresh, organic, California produce and proteins in order to create something that [is] reflective of this place but, also with the influence of our background, being from Sichuan,” Gao said. “Kind of combining the two together to create something that we felt was not available here.”
Building on Liu Hjelmeseth’s experience with her family’s Sichuan restaurant, Gao said Suá format will be familiar to customers of Pret A Manger or Urban Remedy. While the latter has since expanded into a line of meals, snacks and juices sold in retailers including Whole Foods and Costco, Suá team is currently focused exclusively on on-premise sales.
Gao is personally invested in Suá rather than through her Fly By Jing line of condiments and spices, but she said the two share the common goal of educating consumers about traditional Sichuan cuisine. Fly by Jing’s products will likely be sold in the store, as well, and many prepared food items will feature the brand’s line of condiments and spices.
“Our purpose is to evolve culture through taste,” Gao said of both Fly by Jing and Suá. “[We’re] giving people more access and understanding of what great Sichuan flavors can be and how [they] can be incorporated into a daily routine.”
In addition to Suá, 2023 will also see the release of Gao’s cookbook, The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing’s Kitchen. Gao also told NOSH Fly By Jing will likely launch a new product in the fourth quarter.
“[Suá] is an extension of what [Fly by Jing is] known for, which is great Sichuan flavors and it’s a way to make these flavors more convenient,” Gao said. “It’s another kind of platform for me to talk about Sichuan flavors…to create a space for community and also to curate products by similar kinds of ethos founders.”
