Fresh Take: Why Bachan’s Barbecue Sauce Could Be The Next Sriracha

Asquirt of Bachan’s Japanese barbecue sauce is often the difference in my household between spiraling about what to make for dinner and pulling together a quick and healthy dish almost effortlessly. Flavors include Yuzu, Miso and “Hella Hot,” which can brighten up salmon filets, chicken thighs, shrimp, mushrooms, tofu, vegetables and pretty much anything else.

As I was reporting my profile on Bachan’s founder Justin Gill, I was interested in learning more about the special backstory of this brand. Read the story to hear it in full, but I’ll give you a taste: The barbecue sauce, a bestseller at both Whole Foods and Amazon, was inspired by Gill’s heirloom family recipe.

Gill’s grandmother was a first-generation Japanese American who spent two years as a child at a Japanese internment camp in the Colorado desert. She lived with Gill’s family while he grew up in Sebastopol, California, and he remembers her consistently brewing large batches of sweet sauce anytime there was a big gathering or holiday. Now, Gill’s version is feeding millions of families across the country. (Bachan’s is named after the Japanese American term for “granny.”)

I’m thrilled to be back writing this weekly newsletter, after taking some time off to heal from the injury I sustained during my last reporting trip. I’ll see you again next Friday, and, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy all summer has to offer!

— Chloe Sorvino, Staff Writer

Order my book, Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat, out now from Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books.

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What’s Fresh

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Field Notes

While recovering, I totally missed that one of my all-time favorite New York City restaurants, Thai Diner, changed its menu. I wish I could have had one more meal with its last iteration, but I’m happy to report that what the kitchen is serving is as delicious as ever. As a coconut shrimp obsessive, I particularly loved the thick coconut crust on Thai Diner’s new version of Chicken mMilanese called Coconut Chicken Thailandese.

Thanks for reading the 113th edition of Forbes Fresh Take! Let me know what you think. Subscribe to Forbes Fresh Take here.

Chloe Sorvino leads coverage of food and agriculture as a staff writer on the enterprise team at Forbes. Her book, Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat, published on December 6, 2022, with Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books. Her nearly nine years of reporting at Forbes has brought her to In-N-Out Burger’s secret test kitchen, drought-ridden farms in California’s Central Valley, burnt-out national forests logged by a timber billionaire, a century-old slaughterhouse in Omaha and even a chocolate croissant factory designed like a medieval castle in northern France.