Hyde Park’s Oriental Market A Hidden Gem
For a brief moment I almost forgot where I was. Unlike most restaurants here I didn’t feel rushed or pressured in any way, the ambiance in the room was pleasant and relaxing. I was surrounded by walls that bleed bright oranges, yellows and greens and to the right of me stood aisles filled with bottles, cans, and packages. In the back of the store I could see the entrance to the kitchen, it looked well-kept and extremely organized. I thought to myself, “when was the last time I’d seen a kitchen that was opened to its customers?” I hadn’t. Hyde Park’s Oriental Market is a family business that values its customers.
“You treat customers not just like customers… you develop a friendship,” said Windy-Liu Ramos Quiambao, owner and cook at the store.
Before deciding to open a food store five years ago, Ramos Quiambao worked as a nurse in the operating room at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital. What motivated her to change career paths was her passion for cooking as well her commitment to her family.
Ramos Quiambao admitted that it was difficult within the first two years of opening the business. She and her family used a lot of their own money to finance and maintain the business; however, as the years progressed their persistence, patience but more importantly the support of their customers has allowed the store to grow.
“Every day I have new customers and the business is serving diverse people,” said Ramos Quiambao.
People travel from areas like Woodstock, Catskill, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Fishkill, Newburgh, Beacon, and even Monroe to come to the market. It is a welcoming environment that has attracted ethnicities outside of the Asian culture. Ramos Quiambao expressed that she had customers that were Jamaican, Caucasian and African.
The market supplies a variety of Asian cuisine products that come from places like New Jersey, Albany and New York City. Customers have access to Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and more foods.
The store also has a dine-in area where Ramos Quiambao and her husband cook food. She acknowledged that because hers is the only store in the area like it, a lot of people are thankful for it.
“At first I thought there are finally Asian condiments that I can buy to make my food. It was also interesting that they had an eating area. I was really beginning to miss Asian cuisine since I’m mainly surrounded by a lot of sandwich shops and American franchises,” said Ashly Kim head of social media for Asian Alliance at Marist College.
College students from Dutchess Community College as well as The Culinary Institute of America love coming to the store. The owners maintain an open door policy of their kitchen which allow culinary students to come in and learn how to cook oriental foods.
The meals that are prepared by the owners range from a variety of choices including fish, barbecue, pork, pork estofado, jasmine rice and much more.
All of the foods that are cooked do not contain MSG. Ramos Quiambao stresses that the food she makes is home-cooked and not merely restaurant food. She said, “it comes from my heart, when you love cooking and it is a passion it comes out in your food.”
The owners are not just interested in providing food service, they are invested in the overall wellbeing of their customers. They extend their services to customers outside of the food business. On some occasions they have offered students rides home and have adjusted closing hours if customers were still eating or shopping.
“We’re not doing it to make the store look good,” assured Ramos Quiambao.
Ramos Quiambao and her costumers have developed a strong relationship. Their loyalty to her services is what keeps them satisfied and continuously coming back to her store.
“If I close my store to go on vacation they say go, we’ll wait for you…you deserve it,” she explained.
As the Oriental Market continues to the owners hope their business will continue to gain recognition.
For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/HydeParkOrientalMarket/?fref=ts.
