Yum Cha Food Tour

For our second food tour along the famous Buford Highway, chef Alan of the popular Salty Smiles pop up will be joining us as a guest food guide, along with Howard and Candy. 

About Howard

Howard Hsu is the CEO of Hsu Hospitality and owner-partner of seven celebrated Atlanta-area restaurants, including Sweet Auburn Barbecue, Gezzo’s Brands, Tio Lucho’s, and Lazy Betty. Raised in his family’s Chinese-American restaurants, Howard developed a deep-rooted passion for food and hospitality early on, gaining hands-on experience in every corner of the industry.

After earning a degree in international business from the University of Georgia, Howard and his sister Anita launched Gezzo’s in McDonough, later expanding into barbecue with Sweet Auburn BBQ, and eventually partnering with his brother Ron on the Michelin-starred Lazy Betty. During the pandemic, he helped open the James Beard-nominated Tio Lucho’s and a second Sweet Auburn location.

Howard’s work has earned local and national recognition, and he remains deeply committed to fostering a culture of trust, respect, and community in all his ventures. He lives in Atlanta’s Lake Claire neighborhood with his wife Melissa, daughter Leonora, and their dog Brisket. When he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find him traveling, outdoors, or fly fishing.

About Candy

Candy Hom is the creator behind Soupbelly, a beloved food blog turned pop-up concept known for bringing traditional and creative Chinese dishes to the Atlanta food scene. A former graphic artist and photographer based in upstate New York, Candy moved to Georgia with her husband and shifted gears, first as a stay-at-home mom, then as a content creator and culinary force. Since launching Soupbelly in 2008, she has been published in multiple cookbooks and now shares recipes, restaurant reviews, and small business advice through her Substack newsletter.

In 2019, Candy began hosting pop-ups, offering dishes like pork and cabbage potstickers, Cantonese-inspired fried chicken sandwiches, and Chinese-style bento boxes in areas where these flavors are often underrepresented. When the pandemic hit, she pivoted with wildly popular frozen dumpling drops featuring har gow, siu mai, sticky rice, and more, selling over 100 bags per drop. That number has remained steady even as things returned to normal. She also leads monthly workshops and is a regular contributor to Atlanta’s food media, spotlighting the city’s best Asian eats.

Candy lives in Marietta with her husband and two kids. When she is not running a pop-up, writing, or folding dumplings, she enjoys reading, exploring restaurants, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Guests can park in the garage located behind Tio Luchos, head across the street to Sweet Auburn BBQ for a welcome cocktail, then hop on the shuttle to head to the culinary destination known as Buford Highway.

Our itinerary includes half a dozen culturally diverse stops for various cuisines such as dim sum, Chinese pastries, papaya salad, tacos and more, in between walking through some bustling Asian markets, and a tasting at a locally owned award-winning Korean distillery. We will head back to Sweet Auburn BBQ to end the day. 

Please be open-minded and ready to try everything we offer! Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate or offer substitutes for dishes - please let us know if you have any allergy concerns. We aren’t ordering per requests as this tour is to highlight what Howard and Candy chose to share with the group, but people are welcome to purchase any other food they want to try themselves - time permitting.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable to another date. In the event you are no longer able to attend, you are welcome to find an alternate.

Although the event goes from 1:00pm - 5:30pm, please be at Sweet Auburn BBQ at 12:45pm and allow us some flexibility in time, taking Atlanta traffic into consideration. Comfortable walking shoes are also strongly encouraged. Open for foodies 12 years and older.

Please note: All attendees will be required to sign the below liability waiver upon arrival