Interview with Wilson Wu from the Wild Tangerine
“Everybody has a passion. Some boys like cars, some boys like girls, some boys like boys, some boys like shoes, like myself. In this business you can’t become a prisoner. There has to be a desire. It has to become a part of your life. It has, for me. It is a passion.”
Wilson Wu is a shoe fanatic. Since he began running on a consistent basis, he has come to appreciate the beauty in a good pair of sneakers. Outside of his love for footwear, he runs the Wild Tangerine restaurant with his sister Judy. The focus of their restaurant is to break the motif of the Edmonton restaurant by providing unique foods for the bored palate.
1. When were you first interested in the restaurant business?
In 1980. I worked in a really fancy restaurant at that time called “Oliver.” That was my first restaurant job. After that I went back to the academic world. After that I went to Calgary to pursue my academic world in chemistry. Then an opportunity came with my sister, when she came back from Vancouver.
My parents grew up in WWII and the Cultural Revolution. They had seen it before and they didn’t want to take chances. Back then, it was becoming Chinese land again, and also they were retiring, and they had to make the decision do they retire in Hong Kong? My parents compared the cost of living with here and Vancouver, and the cost of living here is so so easy. My parents enjoyed it and so they decided to stay.
2. What interested you about this particular kind of restaurant? What is the significance behind this kind of restaurant?
It’s a reflection of my childhood. I had another ten years before this. I operated a fine dining restaurant. It was an Ori-eatal. We were looking for a new location. Eventually we found this location. The only problem was it was a little bit small, so we found a new concept again to cope with the location. Also, we felt the demographic was different so we had to do some adjustments.
3. Who have been some of the instrumental people who have really encouraged and supported you through the starting and maintaining of your own restaurant?
My sister, Judy. She is basically the pillar of the business. She is the chef.
4. What makes your restaurant interesting/unique to other restaurant? Chain restaurants in particular?
We try to break the motif of Edmonton. Edmonton is so cold, climate wise, and so the attitude is very stubborn. I want to make Edmonton more metropolitan. The Edmonton palate is like a kid that refuses to grow up. It’s not that they don’t have money, it’s the economy is so stable and so nice the people don’t have to challenge themselves.
They always want to stay the same. We try to be the kick in the butt.
Bottom line. This is our lifestyle. We enjoy it and it is how we make profit to support our families. The way to tell our story and avoid competition with the chains is to make ourselves unique. Make ourselves original taste. We create something lots of other restaurants copy. Fine. I copy ideas from other chefs all over the world. We always want to do something exciting and chic.
5. How did you choose the decor of the restaurant?
The decor in here goes back to the state of mind. The glass is the fire element, the walls are the earth element, and there is a symbolic water element between the two walls. I made the tile combination because it is a sand mosaic. All the colors that you see in the tiles reflect all parts of the room. The seats are Ying and Yang. The lamps reflect a story too, based on Chinese legend. You come in and you relax, and your senses are ready for the food.
I am a very spiritual person. I grew up a Buddhist. As a teenager I went to Buddhist school for two years. As you mature, your hormone levels drop and you are much cleaner. It’s like a peeling onion. The onion outside is dirty, and as you grow older the skins fall off and you are made cleaner.
6. What are the most significant joys and struggles of being an independent restaurant owner?
We have to watch our checkbook really carefully. Bottom line is you need to enjoy your lifestyle. You must really want to do this. Especially with today’s economy, it’s easy to find jobs. This is your lifestyle, and you have to enjoy it. If you pick this as your lifestyle and you enjoy what you’re doing then whatever the obstacles are, you’ll get over it.
For years when I first opened the restaurant I kept clippings of reviews. I stopped doing this, but instead of concentrating on the rewards what I am saving right now is complaints. You can not please everybody but you try to minimize the complaints and you want all the rewards. You want to make people happy when they go out the door. Life is so important. In this business you can’t become a prisoner. There has to be a desire.
If you want to go to heaven you have to go to hell first. The operation hours are so horrific. Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, you have to work. You sign a contract with yourself. Hopefully after that you are able to maintain a lifestyle. That is hard because you have to compromise your second world.
7. How are you involved in the community around you? Do you support any charities?
I’m on the board with different fundraising projects throughout the year. The longest term I’ve been on the board of the California wine fest, the Citadel Theatre Foundation, annual fundraising project for five years. I’m on the advisory board for the Lois Hole’s hospital for women. From all angles that is a good way to be connected to the community. I donate mostly packages, cooking, and dinner packages. People will be honored at fundraising events and they come here for a dinner.
8. How large a role do ethics play in your choice of products? Do you buy locally/organically/fair trade?
As much as we can from the local, farming community. However, there’s supply and demand. Unfortunately Edmonton seasonal situation is a little tough. We work with a saleswoman who goes shopping in the local area and gets a list of products. It is good because we don’t have time or the buying power so it is a bridge. We chose a middle person who can solve all those problems. It’s really user friendly and she’s really good. Sometimes the producers lock the doors themselves, they don’t ask how small or big we are. That’s tough. 50% of our product is locally grown and most of it is organic, or protocol organic.
We want to teach the present generation what the quality product is, treating the product nicely. I often ask people, “what is the true flavor of the tomato? What is the true flavor of a garlic?” Those you need to identify. If you have the palate to identify, that means you have the palate of demand. Because you can demand quality. That’s why we want to educate the present and future generation.
That is why we are opening a new location downtown. It is a lifestyle store. We have food to sell. Wild Tangerine Mobile Cuisine. It is between a fast food and restaurant business.
I also want to start a new concept, called Wild Tangerine Mobile Body. An exercise program of walking and running. Eating healthy.
9. Where does the restaurant’s name come from?
Two restaurants. One is from a restaurant in California called Wild Ginger. A Caucasian fellow running an Asian restaurant. They had all kinds of ginger dishes and I was so inspired.
Tangerine comes from another restaurant. Years ago when I went to Vancouver I happened to read a review of a place called Tangerine. So I thought I’d check it out. I had some time to kill and so I went to hang out there. Two bartenders. One Caucasian fellow and one Australian. Really simple food, really basic good food. They only had a few things, a few good things to offer. They sold lots of cocktails. That inspired me. So the two together—BANG! I searched on the internet, talked to my lawyer, nobody touched it—buy it!
10. What are some hobbies/interests you have outside of the restaurant?
Running, I slowed down a little bit. A little bit of injury a couple years ago. Cycling to keep the cardio. But running is sexier. That is all. Walking. Actually power walking is the best and safest way. I highly recommend that everybody should walk. Running is a little bit tough sometimes. Some people are born a runner. They look sexier on the freeway. But not everybody can run.
I also do yoga. Yoga is a good pastime. It allowed me to reset my mental and physical balance. If I don’t get to do yoga and rest time this restaurant would not look the same.
