Good taste on the rise 
in Gwinnett communities

   Mimi Liang always had good taste. When she was eight years old, she moved from her native Taiwan to Paraguay where her parents established an import and export business. Liang remembers how as a child she participated in choosing only the best of items to buy or to sell.

   “I grew up in a store, knowing good quality” said Liang. “It was always my second home for me.”

   Liang earned a degree in nutrition and dietetics from Drexel College and a masters degree in the same field at New York University, where she became a registered dietician.

   “I always loved going to really nice restaurants,” she said, noting that she was quite particular about the nutritional quality of food that they served.

   When her husband accepted a job in Gwinnett County, Liang moved here from New York City wanting to make use of both of her nutritional and retail backgrounds. She started out as a barista at Starbucks and worked her way up to store manager.

   “During the five years I worked at Starbucks, I was a steady customer at Rising Roll,” she said. “The food was so good, so gourmet and so nutritional.”

   Rising Roll Gourmet began operating in Atlanta as Uptown Gourmet Sandwich Co. in 1996, when Jeff and Bob Weiss opened their first location. After one year in business, Atlanta Magazine rated Rising Roll "the best sandwich shop in Atlanta.”

   In 2004, Liang opened the second Rising Roll restaurant, which was also the first in Gwinnett County. (There are now locations in Norcross and John’s Creek.)

   “I always wanted to have my own store and I also wanted to offer my customers high quality,” said Liang, whose Rising Roll consistently receives high ratings. Customers can view crystal trophies from Zagat, a top restaurant rating service as they proceed through the serving line.

   All items on the Rising Roll menu are homemade and produced fresh daily. Customers often ask for Liang’s professional advice on their dietary concerns. Following her suggestions, Liang has many repeat customers benefiting from her expertise. 

   As for the quality of the food – and its good taste - let’s go beyond Liang’s expert opinions. When nationally renowned chef Emeril Lagasse hosted a super bowl party, he had Rising Roll do the catering. 

   While this Lawrenceville location near Discover Mills wasn’t the one to cater Emeril’s football affair, they do enjoy having several Atlanta Falcons “doing lunch” with them on a regular basis.

   Liang feeds more than just the lunchtime crowd at Rising Roll. She caters events for dozens of local businesses including Quiktrip, Larson-Juhl, Atlanta Classic Cars, Diversitech and Curtis 1000. She also supports fundraising events for local charities. McKendree Elementary, Gwinnett Hospital System Foundation, Leukemia Foundation, Autism Awareness Group, Lymphoma Society and Victory World Church are among the many organizations that have a good taste of how Liang serves her community.

   (For more information visit www.risingroll.com )

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