This is the sportful.

It's not for foodies, it's for eaters, I'm Dan Pashman.

Each week on our show we obsess about food to learn more about people, and we are coming

to you live from the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York.

For decades in America, if you wanted to cook most kinds of Asian, African, or Latin American

food at home, you basically had two options.

You could get all the ingredients and make it from scratch, but whether or not you grew

up with these foods, you might not know how to make them yourself, and you might not have

time to cook at all.

Your other option, choose from a limited number of pre-packaged meals, sauces, or spice

packs.

These grocery store standbys of the ethnic or international aisle would often be very

sweet, lacking in spice and depth of flavor.

Today, a new generation of American entrepreneurs is attempting to change that.

You want the flavors of Somalia with a modern twist.

There's howa Hassan's best, best foods, which offers jars of tamarind date sauce and

coconut cilantro chutney.

You want to serve Chinese hot pot, but you've only got 10 minutes until your friends arrive,

open up a packet of fly-by-jing hot pot base, add whatever you have in the fridge, and enjoy

the unmistakable taste of Sichuan peppercorns.

These are exciting and delicious times.

But the road to long-term success for all these brands is still full of challenges.

...