Go! figure. A story about a Seaside restaurant is as much about people as the menu.

It’s probably no surprise that as a long-time food writer, I enjoy watching cooking shows—well, apart from the many pointless competition programs—and reading about dishes, chefs and restaurants.

Dave Faries here, apologizing for not opening with a stunning revelation. What follows will be much more interesting, especially for those who read staff writer David Schmalz’s story this week about the sisters behind an unexpected restaurant in Seaside.

Thea and Bea Kun opened Congo Go! a year ago, operating as a boba tea shop with a few small plates. As Schmalz points out, the restaurant veterans—Thea as a chef, Bea working front of the house—were reluctant to feature dishes from their family’s native home, Cambodia. “Who knew about Cambodian food?” he writes. “People would scratch their heads, they thought.”

Schmalz notes how they began adding Cambodian dishes, sometimes using more familiar Thai or Vietnamese names. But he goes further, telling of their parents’ fleeing Cambodia and the challenges of an immigrant upbringing.

I’ll stop there. It’s far more worthwhile to read Schmalz’s account than my brief retelling. From the outside, Congo Go! appears to be an unremarkable shop on the Broadway strip. Schmalz recognized that, while dishes are made from scratch from quality ingredients, the story of the people behind the food was equally compelling.

I hope you take a few moments to check out what I think is an interesting tale.