When Doris Yao first arrived in New York City in 1981, she looked at the street food scene—hotdogs, pretzels, peanuts—and thought to herself: I should show people Taiwanese food if I get the chance. It would take over a decade, a complete career change, and an economic recession before that chance finally came, but when it did, A-Pou didn't hesitate.
Doris's family had other plans for her. With a background in purchasing handbags in Asia for American buyers, she spent years building a career in fashion. She concentrated on the garment industry through the 1990s, until everything changed. "The business, everything, is in recession," she recalls. Manufacturers moved overseas, production dwindled to samples, and major chain stores filed for bankruptcy. She was forced to close her business.
"After that, I was thinking, no more fashion… what do I do next?" Then one day, browsing the newspaper, she saw an ad: food cart for sale. "I said, bingo."
Without much research, "I was so stupid," she laughs, Doris bought the cart and started learning the catering business. But she quickly realized she wanted something more permanent. She decided to open a restaurant: A-Pou’s Taste.
Doris chose her Bushwick location for two practical reasons: it was the cheapest space she could find, and it was the biggest she could afford. But there was another advantage she recognized immediately—the neighborhood was the heart of the food industry, which she knew from years of shopping for fabrics and materials during her fashion career.
"I know where to buy. Which company will give me the good price," she explains. By purchasing ingredients herself, in person, she could keep costs down and pass those savings directly to her customers. "I could make a lot more money, but I did not do that."
Her commitment to affordable prices runs deeper than just smart purchasing. She knows her customers- the artists and construction workers who make up most of the neighborhood's residents. "They are really straight up workers. They are really physical workers. They really have to work hard for their money. So I make it really cheap."
"You're traveling far away to here, you have to get a good result—good food to eat and good price to pay. That's my mentality," A-Pou explains. If the same food were in Manhattan, she admits, it would cost double. But here in Bushwick, she sees it as her responsibility to offer customers the best value she can. "This is another great location, another inconvenience for you to come here, so I have to offer you the best that I can give you." The location came with challenges, though. She opened around 2017, pouring all her money into building out the space. Then, after just two or three years, COVID hit.
Unlike many restaurants, A-Pou's Taste never closed. Her staff—trained meticulously over years until they knew every dish from A to Z—were too good to let go. So Doris did what she had to do: she picked them up from their homes every morning and drove them back every evening.
"I spent a lot of time. In the morning, I picked them up. In the evening, I dropped them off. It took a lot of energy to spend on everything."
The dedication paid off. At one point, A-Pou's was the only restaurant open in the area. One customer drove more than 30 minutes hunting for food before finding her. "Lucky I survived," she says. "It's because of all my people."
Today, A-Pou's doesn't do any advertising. "The food talks by itself," Doris says. "We are not really fancy restaurant but it's cooked from our heart. It's cooked like home style."
No MSG, no artificial flavors—just food prepared the way it would be at home. Her lunch special offers three items from the counter for just $8, a price point she's adamant about keeping affordable. "The workers around the neighborhood, they are really physical workers. They really have to work hard for their money. So I make it really cheap."
Her days are long—arriving at 5:30 AM and closing at 8 PM, six days a week. She once dreamed of running the restaurant 24 hours to serve the late-night truckers in the neighborhood, but "I did not think I would get old. I never thought…physically, I could not support myself for that long."
On Sundays, when the restaurant is closed for deep cleaning, A-Pou often opens the space to local artists for exhibitions, fashion shows, and private events—charging just enough to cover electricity and cleaning. Some of her regular customers host birthday parties and make use of her karaoke machine. The space has become a community hub, a “second home.”
"When you get homesick, you come," Doris says. She remembers a young woman who ate beef noodle soup and began to cry. "She said, 'You remind me of my grandma's food.' And started to cry. I said, 'If you’re home sick, just come here.'"
Doris has crafted a space where customers don't walk out without saying goodbye. "A-Pou, bye-bye, I'm leaving," they call out, like children leaving home. "Here is just like home. Everybody is home."
Doris has watched Bushwick transform over the past decade. The buildings that once housed sewing shops, knitting companies, and printing operations during her fashion days now shelter artist studios. Where garment workers once rushed to the subway at 5 PM, young artists now fill the streets day and night.
"This area in 10 years, it's gonna become the second Soho," she predicts. "Much bigger than Soho."
Does she think it's changing for the better? "Changing for the better. I feel I'm much younger because all the young kids around me." They pop in and say hello, say goodbye as they leave, and return again after a while. "That makes it more interesting."
From fashion to food cart to neighborhood gem, Doris Yao finally got her chance to show New Yorkers Taiwanese food. And in doing so, she created something even more valuable—a home away from home where the food, cooked from the heart, speaks for itself.
See Doris and A-Pou’s Taste at 963 Grand St come to life here. Come curb your comfort food cravings and host your next karaoke party!
With compliments to the chef,
Jonathan
Co-founder, Shortlist New York