Ry’s Poke Shack

Food mission to visit Netflix New Orleans streetfood @cheflindagreen

There’s something special about traveling for food, but it’s never really just about the food.

Years ago, Netflix featured our little family poke shop on the Hawaii episode of Street Food. It changed our lives. Even today, people still visit us because they saw that episode.

This time, we got to be the travelers.

We made the drive to visit the legendary Yakamein Lady from the New Orleans episode because we wanted to experience a dish that truly belongs to this city. Miss Linda Green had a doctor’s appointment today, so we didn’t get to meet her, but we had the honor of meeting her grandson, Don, who’s carrying the family legacy forward.

After more than 60 days away from Hawaii, that first bowl hit different. To me, it tasted like a deeper, beefier saimin with rich, clean flavors that somehow felt both brand new and familiar at the same time. We tried the beef, shrimp, and crawfish… then went right back and bought more.

Moments like this remind us why we love traveling. It’s not always the famous streets or the biggest attractions. Sometimes the best memories come from leaving the tourist spots, following a story, and meeting the families keeping their traditions alive.

Family businesses understand each other in a way that’s hard to explain. Behind every recipe is sacrifice, long days, and generations of love.

We’ll definitely be back to meet Miss Linda. Until then, thank you, Don, for welcoming our ohana and sharing a piece of New Orleans with us.

Travel for the food… but stay for the people. That’s the part you’ll remember forever.