Asian grocery chain Fresh International Market to open a 23,000 square foot store in Pittsburgh in 2024.

In "news" that actually came out in March, Fresh International Market plans to open a store in Point Breeze's Rockwell Park Development. From the March 13, 2023 press release:

New tenant Fresh International Market will offer authentic Asian flavors to Pittsburgh customers.

A major grocery store chain is set to open its seventh store in Pittsburgh's North Point Breeze neighborhood, within the Rockwell Park innovation center. Known for its unique selection of international ingredients and authentic Asian cuisine, the market's new store will occupy the entire 40,000 RSF Apollo building.

Of the new store, Rockwell Park Principal Al Lardo shares: "We are thrilled to welcome Fresh International Market to Rockwell Park and the North Point Breeze community. This new store will be a fantastic addition to the city's vibrant food scene. The store's unique selection of international ingredients and prepared meals will provide greater convenience and comfort for local residents." He noted that the arrival of Fresh International Market would also contribute to the continued growth and development of Rockwell Park: “The opening of Fresh International Market at Rockwell Park marks a significant milestone for the Rockwell Park’s growth and development as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement."

According to Fresh International Market Founder and President Bowen Kou, the store aims to become a part of the local community:

"Fresh International Market is excited to join the vibrant Rockwell Park community and offer our unique range of international brands and Asian cuisine to local residents. We are happy to become a part of this beautiful and dynamic place and look forward to contributing to its growth and development. Our goal is to be more than just a grocery store, but a destination where customers can discover new flavors and expand their culinary horizons."

The store will be located in the Apollo building on 7511 Thomas Blvd, which was built in 1906. The construction work is expected to take up to 15 months.

Another earlier article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette puts the size of the new store at 23,000 square feet, which would be a tad smaller than the 24,000 square foot new Many More Asian Market location set to open this summer. (The size discrepency between the article and the release may be due to the difference in size between the building, at 23,000 square feet, and the entire property, which measures just over 39,000.)

The store will open at 7511 Thomas Blvd. (map), located roughly a block from the East End Food Co-op and Construction Junction. This will be the region's first Fresh International Market, though the chain was loosely linked to Pittsburgh in 2021 as a finalist for the former Hill District Shop n' Save location. Its proposal was admittedly the weakest of the four for the site, and was reportedly submitted after the deadline, which were among two of the reasons it was not selected to move into Uptown.

Washington Penn hiring Mandarin-speaking accountant for position in Washington, PA.

Washington Penn, based in Washington, PA, is hiring a Mandarin-speaking accountant. From the job listing:

Responsible for the general accounting and cost accounting of the Finance Department. Ensure timely and accurate generation of financial information. Develop and maintain an adequate internal control structure. Monthly interaction with China, Hong Kong, South East Asia and other regions, so fluency in Mandarin is required for this role.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Interface with global subsidiaries, mainly China, Hong Kong, South East Asia for intercompany balance reconciliations and transaction tracking
• Create journal entries in the accounting system and assist in global consolidation for timely month-end close
• Perform various general ledger account reconciliations
• Participate in the accounts payable function as needed and supports our automated AP software
• Participate in credit and collection process
• Participate in the managing our debit memo / credit memo process with customers
• Participate in inventory management
• Coordinate annual audit with outside audit firm
• Assist in budget and forecast process, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual or forecast costs
• Assist in financial analysis
• Perform other duties and assignments as directed by supervisor

2022 Japanese animated film The First Slam Dunk in Pittsburgh from July 27.

The 2022 Japanese animated film The First Slam Dunk will play in Pittsburgh from July 27.

Shohoku's "speedster" and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.

Wikipedia notes it won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2023. It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson. Tickets are available online; please note, some screenings are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Korean bakery chain Tous Les Jours (뚜레쥬르) coming to Pittsburgh.

The Korean bakery chain Tous Les Jours (뚜레쥬르) has begun work on a Pittsburgh location. It will be located on Penn Ave. in East Liberty, on the ground floor of the Eastside Bond Building C across from Target (map).

Tous Les Jours is a Korean chain that has expanded throughout Asia and North America, though it has heretofore not had a presence in Pittsburgh.

Japanese metal band HANABIE。at Preserving Underground in New Kensington, September 23.

The Japanese metal band HANABIE。will play at Preserving Underground in New Kensington on September 23. Their Reddit fanpage provides an introduction:

Loud rock band HANABIE。formed at their school light music club in June 2015. Centering in Kichijōji, Tokyo, they started performing live around areas such as Shinjuku and Tachikawa.

The sound of Hanabie features the sound mixture of metalcore, hardcore, Hip-Hop, and J-POP. Their 1st album, "Girls Manifest" was released in 2020. With this album, they have established their own genre "HARAJUKUCORE"

Their live performances have a speed and power that exceeds expectations and captivates their audience. Yukina's powerful screaming/growling vocals never leave anyone without being amazed, along with this excellent melodic lines given by the clean voice of Matsuri, this is a complete basis for an amazing metalcore band but as for them it isn't enough they add different layers of voices between rap lines. If vocally they are great, in the instrumental part they're not left behind, aggressive, heavy, and dynamic. Certainly to define this band you need at least two words: dynamic and powerful.

The all ages show starts at 7 pm, and tickets are available online. Preserving Underground is located at 1101 5th Ave., roughly 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh (map).

Early screening of Adele Lim's Joy Ride in Pittsburgh-area theaters, July 1.

An early screening of the 2023 film Joy Ride will play in several Pittsburgh-area theaters on July 1 before the film opens around the city on July 5.

From the producers of Neighbors and the co-screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, JOY RIDE stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Oscar® nominee Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu. The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

Also starring Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians), Lori Tan Chinn (Awkwafina is Nora From Queens), David Denman (Greenland), Annie Mumolo (Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar), Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexander Hodge (Insecure), and Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians).

It will play at 7:00 pm July 1 at the AMC Loews Waterfront, the Cinemark McCandless, and the Cinemark Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot in Pittsburgh, August 11.

The Indonesian rock band Voice of Baceprot will play a show in Pittsburgh on August 11. Their official site introduces them thus:

Young, Indonesian, hijab-wearing, female metal trio Voice Of Baceprot (VOB) have been covering the members’ favourite metal songs since they learned to play their instruments. Their prowess at playing these covers got them attention from fans and media worldwide and enabled them to develop to the point where they could, as a band, create original songs.

Consisting of Marsya (vocals and guitar), Widi (bass), and Sitti (drums), the trio first met when they were still junior high school students in their hometown of Singajaya, a small village two hours’ drive away from the city of Garut, West Java. The word “baceprot” from their band name comes from the Sundanese language meaning “noisy”. It was chosen to represent the type of music that they play.

Since their formation, VOB have become a point of discussion for a host of renowned global media, including The New York Times, NPR, BBC, DW and The Guardian, featuring them in the pages of their online publication. VOB were recently named by heavy metal and rock magazine Metal Hammer as “the Metal Band the World Needs Right Now”.

They'll play at the Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh, located at 230 W. Station Square Drive (map) in Station Square. The show starts at 7:00 pm, and guests under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Acclaimed 2023 film Past Lives remains in Pittsburgh-area theaters after initial week-long run.

The 2023 film Past Lives, which opened in Pittsburgh on June 22, will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters through at least July 13. A synopsis, from the distributor A24:

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.

It will play at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill, the AMC Loews Waterfront, and the Cinemark theater in Robinson through June 30, will continue at the Manor Theater and AMC Loews through July 6 (tickets available online), and play at the Harris Theater from June 30 through July 13.

"We Learn" Beginner and Intermediate Korean classes resume at Carnegie Library in Oakland, Saturdays from July 1.

via the Republic of Korea's Flickr page.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Oakland will resume its free "We Learn" Beginner and Intermediate Korean classes Saturdays from July 1. The beginner classes run from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm in Classroom A of the Oakland (Main) branch; a summary:

In this beginner-level class, we will use the textbook published by the Korean government for foreigners who learn Korean as a secondary language.

We will start from write/reading Korean characters, 'Hangul', and learning how to organize sentence structures.

The intermediate classes start at 12:00 pm, also in Classroom A.

In this intermediate-level class, we will cover the textbook published by the Korean government for foreigners who learn Korean as a secondary language. We will cover basic Korean grammar and vocabulary, and practice how to speak and write using what we've covered in each lecture.

Registration is required to participate. The classes run all five Saturdays in July: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. The Oakland branch of the Carneige Library of Pittsburgh is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by numerous city bus lines.

Korea-based travelling music family TENGGER in Pittsburgh, October 4.

The three-piece travelling music family band Tengger will play in Pittsburgh on October 4 as part of their North American tour. Their official site describes their sound thus:

텐거/天郷
TENGGER is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, itta and Marqido, who create their brand of psychedelic New-Age drone magic through the use of harmonium, voice, and toy instruments (played by itta) and analogue synths (played by Marqido). The duo originally started out with the moniker “10” but since the birth of their son RAAI (who joins them on tour and often on stage) in 2012, have called themselves TENGGER (meaning ‘unlimited expanse of sky’ in Mongolian) to mark the expansion of the family. It also means ‘huge sea’ in Hungarian. Travel, as spiritual experience in real environments, and the sound between the space and the audience have been central themes of their works. The family’s yearly pilgrimages inform every aspect of their art.

They will play at the First Unitarian Church in Shadyside (map), from 7:00 to 10:00 pm; ticket information will follow later.