SAN ANTONIO – Pacific Moon, which opened at 15140 San Pedro Avenue in 2008, may not offer up what you'd expect when first walking in.
Before becoming the restaurant it is now, it was a coffee shop. Owner and cook Han Olmstead started serving some food items, which led to more people wanting to try her creations.
"I create it with the flavor I like and then we give a sampler," Olmstead said. "Being Asian, some people think we serve all Asian food, but then they come in and will be surprised."
The restaurant's menu includes a wide variety of options that range from burgers and rice bowls to Olmstead's famous chili.
Olmstead came up with the recipe for her chili when she moved to Wisconsin with her husband in 1975.
Since then her chili has evolved and is one of the most popular items on the menu. It is made with fresh ingredients but cooked up with an Asian flare.
"We roast it in a wok and then we boil hot water to make the hot oil, so that smoke flavor is added to the chili," Olmstead said.
It was never a dream of Olmstead's to become a cook but since evolving her business into a restaurant, she is glad she can share some of her Pacific Island influences with San Antonio.