If you’ve ever found yourself lost in the noodle aisle at T&T Supermarket, clutching a bag of mysterious snacks and wondering if you should buy that live lobster (spoiler: you should), you’re not alone. T&T isn’t just a grocery store—it’s a cultural phenomenon, a culinary adventure, and, let’s be honest, the only place where you can impulse-buy both durian and bubble tea under one roof. But first let’s hear from our sponsor for today:

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But how did this supermarket empire take over Canada’s taste buds? And why should history nerds care? Buckle up, because this is a story of immigration, innovation, and more seafood tanks than you can shake a chopstick at.

Picture it: Vancouver, 1993. Grunge is in, the Internet is barely a thing, and Cindy Lee, a Taiwanese-Canadian dynamo, is tired of schlepping through Chinatown in the rain just to find a decent bok choy. Cindy, who’d already conquered the world of Asian-food wholesale, had a radical idea: what if you could buy all your Asian groceries in one place, with actual parking and no need to elbow your way past a guy selling questionable DVDs?

So she did it. The first T&T opened in Burnaby, BC, and it was an instant hit. Locals flocked for the fresh produce, live seafood, and the bakery that smelled like heaven (or at least, like pineapple buns). Within a month, there was a second store. By the late ‘90s, T&T was spreading faster than a rumor at a family reunion.

T&T didn’t just stop at BC. Oh no. Like any good dynasty, it expanded—first to Alberta, then Ontario, and eventually Quebec. Suddenly, Canadians everywhere were learning the difference between mochi and matcha, and realizing that “fish balls” are, in fact, delicious.

But here’s where it gets juicy: in 2009, Loblaw Companies Limited—the big cheese of Canadian groceries—came knocking with a $225 million offer. That’s a lot of noodles. Did Cindy Lee sell out? Technically, yes. But did she give up control? Absolutely not.

Even after the big buyout, the Lee family kept running the show. Cindy stayed on as CEO until 2014, then handed the keys (and the secret dumpling recipe, probably) to her daughter, Tina Lee. Tina’s still the boss today, proving that you can join the corporate world without losing your soul—or your sense of what makes a good hot pot.

The Lees kept T&T’s unique vibe alive: giant stores, live seafood bars, Asian street food stations, and enough Pocky flavors to make your head spin. They even launched an app, because apparently, you can’t call yourself a modern grocery store without one.

If you love stories about food, family, and the glorious mess that is Canadian history, you’re in the right place. Subscribe to the HistoryGoneBananas newsletter, follow us on social, and help us keep serving up history with a side of humor. Because history isn’t just about dead guys and dusty books—it’s about dumplings, dynasties, and the people who make Canada delicious.