Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul Del Carmen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Paul, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

We’re proud to say that Asian Food & Gifts of Chattanooga has been family-run by three generations for over 40 years and counting. My mother, Lynn, first opened AFG back in 1981 when she found herself missing the familiar flavors of home. My parents had moved to Chattanooga from Laos a few years before, but they couldn’t find authentic Asian ingredients anywhere. When they first opened AFG, it was a very small shop with a limited selection. Over the years, we’ve steadily grown and expanded our inventory.

Today, we carry the widest selection of Asian groceries in Chattanooga, including fresh produce, dry goods, frozen items, and kitchenware. My mother has retired, and she now spends her time traveling and visiting family and friends. I run day-to-day operations at the store, along with a small team of hardworking staff. Although they’ve grown up now, my children, Eliza and Evan, continue to stay involved. Eliza runs all our social media accounts, actively posting new updates and recipes on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Evan manages our data and technology to make sure our operation systems are always up and running smoothly.

Running a family business is hard work, but it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Of course, none of this would have been possible without our local community and all our loyal customers who’ve supported us over the years. From our family to yours, we thank you for your continued support.

Paul, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Asian Food & Gifts of Chattanooga provides the widest selection of authentic, Asian groceries in the Chattanooga area. We carry traditional ingredients for Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine, and everything in between. Our dry food selection includes noodles, rice, sauces, snacks, candy, instant ramen, and more. In our coolers, you can find unique drinks and exotic fruits and vegetables. Our freezer section is overflowing with dumplings, baos, fish, ice cream, and desserts. And to top it all off, we also have a large selection of kitchenware, including cooking tools, woks, steamers, bowls, plates, utensils, chopsticks, cups, tea sets, and more.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My daughter, Eliza, introduced AFG to the world of social media five years ago when she started our Instagram and Facebook pages. From content creation to media management and marketing, she runs it all. Eliza regularly posts updates about sales, new products, and upcoming events. In her spare time, she loves cooking new dishes and sharing recipes through reels and posts. Part of our mission is to make Asian home-cooking more accessible to everyone, and to show the world that you can cook authentic dishes from right here in Chattanooga. Asian culture is so intrinsically tied to food, and we feel so blessed to share a taste of our heritage with this community.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe we built our reputation for being the best and largest Asian grocery store in Chattanooga by celebrating diversity and by listening to our community. By embracing the wide variety of Asian cuisines, we have been able to steadily grow our inventory and provide a larger selection of authentic ingredients and products for other home cooks. Every day, we learn about new dishes and food that we may not be familiar with, and we do our best to source whatever ingredients you may need. Our mission is to provide for all the other home chefs out there who crave traditional flavors of Asia and to support adventurous eaters who are excited to try new things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @afg_chatt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afg.chattanooga