Asia Market Corp.

From the outside, Asia Market Corp. looks like any other neighborhood bodega, but inside is a treasure trove of Asian pantry staples. It's shelves and aisles are tightly packed with imported non-perishables including spices, sauces, condiments, and snacks from China and Southeast Asia. After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, many Vietnamese migrated to the United States to escape persecution and poverty. Among them were ethnic Chinese from South China (the majority of whom were Cantonese) who had lived in Vietnam since around the 16th century. They brought distinctive new flavors to Chinatown with them, and restaurants and shops popped up to serve this community.

Asia Market Corp. was founded by a Cantonese family in 1988, and ever since has been a destination for Manhattan chefs and home cooks in search of hard-to-find ingredients like canned banana blossoms and frozen fish balls from China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.