Sichuan Kitchen ramps up unique dining experiences from its new location in SLO

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 was the Year of the Snake, a time for shedding old skin and reinventing oneself, according to Garrett and Coco Morris, co-owners of Sichuan Kitchen SLO in San Luis Obispo.

For Garrett, a Cal Poly graduate and SLO County’s best chef for two years running in New Times’ annual readers’ poll, and Coco, his business partner and Sichuan-born wife, their year of reinvention culminated in December, when they soft-launched their first permanent location on Parker Street, just south of downtown.

As the Chinese New Year—also referred to as the Lunar New Year throughout Asia—looms on Feb. 17, the incoming Year of the Horse promises continued movement and forward energy, Garrett said, punctuated by the grand-opening celebration of their new space on Feb. 21.

With an intimate, 18-seat bar and open kitchen, he envisions classes and special dining experiences, as well as the continuation of his legendary Monday night takeout buffet, formerly hosted at Benny’s Kitchen in SLO.

Fans of his flavorful cuisine—which combines farm-fresh Central Coast ingredients with traditional Sichuan spices—will be relieved to learn that he has no plans to shutter his popular booth at Thursday night’s Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, at least for now.

What is on the agenda though, is transforming the new space into a community food and culture hub, he said.

“While Sichuan cuisine remains the foundation, the space is designed to host guest chefs and collaborative pop-ups that showcase different food traditions, histories, and cultural perspectives,” he explained. “The focus is on food as education, storytelling, and connection rather than a traditional restaurant model.

“The kitchen is located in the former Debbie Dugan cooking school, and Debbie will continue to teach classes there periodically. Her ongoing presence reflects the collaborative spirit of the space and naturally fits into the guest-chef and shared-kitchen experience.”

The game plan is also to promote cultural diversity within the local dining scene.

“San Luis Obispo isn’t the most diverse place, but it does have a small yet mighty community of people from different backgrounds, as well as many who have lived abroad and are curious and open-minded,” said Garrett, who spent several years in Nepal and China before founding Sichuan Kitchen in 2023.

“Working in the food industry, I often hear people say things like, ‘There’s no good Chinese food here,’ or, ‘I wish there was better Filipino food,’ or whatever cuisine connects to their background or cravings.

“I think it would be really special to offer a space that helps fill those gaps—one that also gives pop-up chefs and guest cooks an opportunity to share their food and their stories. Even chefs who already have restaurants don’t always have the time or space to present their work in a more personal, narrative way.”

“For me, this space holds both personal and professional meaning,” Coco added. “As someone from Sichuan, cooking and sharing these flavors helps ease my homesickness and keeps my cultural roots alive.

“Professionally, it represents an important step toward stability after years of pop-ups and movement—a place where we can slow down, build deeper connections with our community, and cook with more intention.

“My longer-term dream is to create a space where food becomes a bridge between culture, memory, and place,” she said, “allowing people to experience different parts of the world through authentic flavors.”

Beyond providing in-house culinary and educational experiences at their new location, Garrett and Coco also plan to regularly escort their guests to China, with an inaugural adventure set for spring.

Slated for April 12 to 24, the Sichuan Food and Culture Trip is already sold out, “but we do plan on doing more, perhaps in fall 2026 and definitely spring 2027,” Garrett said.

“We are taking 11 people, all of whom are customers and have enjoyed our food,” he continued.

The itinerary includes exploring Coco’s hometown, visiting natural sites and a panda conservancy, all meals, and overnight stays at a five-star hotel, hot-spring resort, and mountain guesthouse.

Closer to home, the Morrises are offering patrons myriad opportunities to get their Sichuan fix at their new location. Join them for a noodle-making class on Jan. 28, chili oil-making class on Feb. 4, Valentine’s dumpling-making class on Feb. 13, Valentine’s dinner on Feb. 14, and Chinese New Year dinner on Feb. 17.

 Offsite events that the couple encourages folks to attend include the Cal Poly Chinese New Year banquet—catered by Sichuan Kitchen—at Chumash Auditorium on Feb. 1 and the Cal Poly Alumni APIDA (Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American) Community Lunar New Year celebration at Mission Plaza on Feb. 19.

“As for what’s next, we’ll see,” Garrett said. “Maybe this kitchen grows into a self-sustaining cultural hub, and that eventually allows us to open a small restaurant. … For now, I’m letting things unfold organically—paying attention to what feels right, enjoying the process, and seeing where sharing good food and good times takes us.”

Sichuan Kitchen chili-oil dipping sauce 

“This is a classic all-purpose sauce used for dumplings, noodles, meats, vegetables, or anything in need of extra flavor and can be adjusted easily, depending on how spicy you like it,” said Chef Garrett Morris of Sichuan Kitchen SLO.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili oil (with flakes)—Sichuan Kitchen Chili Oil or other brand

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced

• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

• pinch of ground Sichuan peppercorn

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Taste and adjust:  Add more chili oil for heat, vinegar for brightness, or sugar to soften the edges. Δ

Flavor writer Cherish Whyte can’t get enough of chef Garrett’s chili-oil-drenched dumplings. Reach her at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.

This article appears in Jan 22-29, 2026.