Family-owned businesses are few and far between. A family-owned restaurant that has not only survived but also flourished for over 30 years is even more difficult to find. The Wong family makes the recipe for success look effortless: involve the family in all aspects of the business, produce excellent food, staff each restaurant with knowledgeable and dedicated people and build a large clientele.
The Wongs — who operate the Oriental Wok restaurants in Hyde Park, Taylor Mill and Fort Mitchell (for details, visit www.orientalwok.com) — also show how food is deeply rooted in tradition. No one knows that better than Angela Wong Miller.
CityBeat: What’s the last great meal you ate and where did you eat it?
Angela Wong: Our Chinese New Year meal was amazing. Each New Year’s Eve we have an eight- to 10-course homemade meal with family and staff. We had Buddha’s Delight, Chinese barbeque pork, whole crispy chicken, sweet red bean soup with dumplings and whole steamed fish, just to name a few. When my sister and I were little, we would fight over the fish cheeks; luckily there were two.
CB: What is your favorite Chinese New Year tradition?
AW: We exchange traditional red envelopes. The color symbolizes good luck and they are filled with lucky money. One generation passes one on to the next and I have envelopes saved since childhood. We also wish loved ones prosperity and luck in the New Year with the Cantonese phrase “Kung Hei Fat Choi.”
This article appears in Mar 2-8, 2011.