Good Fortune Co. is Memphis’ good fortune.
The new Asian restaurant at 361 South Main Street, the site of the old SOB Gastropub, is slated to open this summer. It’s a joint effort between Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton.
“Right now, we’re looking at mid-July,” says Cai, 25. “It’s kind of a moving target because we’re just starting renovations.”
As for the food, Cai says, “We really want to focus on scratch-made ramen and dumplings. The dumplings aspect comes from my development as a chef when I was younger, making dumplings, which was a big activity with my family. Just something we did together. Culturally, dumplings have been part of my food philosophy. They’re why I fell in love with cooking in the first place.”
And, she says, “People don’t really have the idea of eating dumplings as a meal, which is something we do a lot in China and in my culture.
“And for the ramen, it’s just something we really love to cook. Something we’re passionate about. And we’re passionate about doing things from scratch from good ingredients. It tastes completely different when you make it yourself.”
“We’re both chefs,” says Leighton, 29. “We have a very strong background in cooking. For the most part, it’s a collaborative effort.”
They met when Cai was in college in Florida State at Tallahassee, Leighton says. “We were both working at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando for a while. And just something wasn’t speaking to us. We’d seen the numbers go by and we kind of had our creativity stunted.”
They thought, “Instead of being controlled at the whim of other chefs, why can’t we give this a shot ourselves and cook what we’re really passionate about?’”
Leighton, who was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, says, “I was on track to do pharmacy school. So, that’s the whole reason I moved up to Tallahassee. I just couldn’t picture myself in a lab for the rest of my life. I also had seen my mother cook and the joy it brought her. I’ve always been passionate about it. I loved to do it. One day, I saw an advertisement for a culinary school. I toured the facility. I fell in love.”
And, he says, “I haven’t questioned my career choice yet.”
Cai worked as a line cook while she was in school working on her dual degree in hospitality and business management. “I was actually doing a lot of Italian and new American-style of cooking. And I just fell in love with the atmosphere, the high-intensity environment. When I graduated, I pursued a job with Hyatt Hotels as a sous chef and learned a lot of great stuff from them. And then went to Asia for a little while, did some work in Shanghai a little bit, and came back to Memphis.”
They looked all over Memphis to find the right location, Leighton says. “We started our search on North Main and we were going to pursue Yao’s old place. And then we went a little bit toward East Memphis.”
They also looked on the Highland Strip, Cooper-Young, and in Overton Square.
They then met Ed and Brittany Cabigao, owners of the old SOB Gastropub as well as the SOB East and the new SOB Downtown in the old Ambassador Hotel. “I think that’s what sealed the deal,” Leighton says. “We just connected so much with them and their story.”
While Cai is focusing on the cuisine, Leighton is focusing on the restaurant’s decor. “We got the keys Monday of this week,” he says. “So, we’re anticipating about three to two months of renovations. And the cool thing about the space is Ed and Brittany left us really good bones.”
But, he says, they want to have “Asian-style decor.”
They’re removing all the brown floor and wall tile, Leighton says. They also are replacing the top of the bar. “The current bar top is a bit weathered from being a restaurant for 10-and-a-half years. We’re going to replace it with a new hickory wood top.”
They also are going to add “this bright, beautiful 27-foot mural where the long bench is on the left side. We’re working with a local designer named Ivy. She’s very talented.”
The mural, which will include a lot of Asian designs, will be “very New Age,” Leighton says. “It will almost have an anime look to it. A few Asian ladies lounging with bowls of ramen. And little dumpling creatures that kind of guide them through that ramen oasis.”
As for the restaurant’s color scheme, Leighton says, “We’re pretty flexible on the colors. We know we’ll see some pastels in there. Maybe some pink. It will have a bit of feminine feel. Sarah is the creative inspiration behind the food and the concept.”
“I grew up here,” Cai says. “I love the city. I really felt like the food scene was kind of missing this concept. And I really wanted to bring some of my international experience to the people here.”
