For any of my fellow Asian food enthusiasts, Leo's Oriental Market inside of The Stock Pot, 3215 Hanover Road, Johnson City, TN, 423-283-4751 (up at the top of the big hill just past Cheddar's), has been one of the only sources of Asian food products in the Tri-Cities for several years besides Edo's in Kingsport. While Edo's seems to have taken a recent renewed interest in carrying traditional Chinese products inside of their restaurant in their China Market, they have funky operating hours. One can't go there for a bottle of soy sauce at 3 PM because they open at 11 AM till 2:30PM and then from 4:30 PM till close during the week and are also closed on Sundays.
Leo's has been inside of The Stock Pot for a number of years and seemed to have a definite tilt toward products from the Philippines while covering the basics for many other Asian culinary products. I've been shopping for primarily Chinese cooking items for almost thirty years until recent years and normally went to either Knoxville, Asheville or Atlanta to purchase them as especially Knoxville and Atlanta have multiple stores that specialize in these products and also at amazing prices compared to regular grocery stores. Leo's was most convenient being so close by in Johnson City but I almost always developed a case of sticker shock on many basic items after having purchased them elsewhere cheaper for so many years.
Finally, for whatever reason, the folks behind Leo's have recently decided to sell out to the owners of The Stock Pot. Yay!! What this means most to customers immediately is that the prices of almost all of the former Leo's items are now reduced by half and they're bringing in new stock all the time! Finally, their prices are in line with Knoxville and beyond and the management is taking a real interest in providing what the customers want to buy. I took in quite a haul on Thursday buying tubs of Thai curry pastes, Calbee shrimp chips, Jamaican Cock soup mix, Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand Oyster Sauce, Seto Fumi Furikake, Hot Saki Ika dried squid (that I'm eating while I write this), and many other wonderful things at 1/4 the price or less that you can buy them at places like Kroger, Food City, even Walmart. Most groceries stores only carry a few of these items but charge very premium prices for what they do have. If you like to cook Chinese, Japanese or Thai, you need to give this place a visit. The Stockpot itself carries an amazing amount of restaurant supplies and staples, even new and used restaurant equipment. This is the kind of economic stimulus I've been needing!
