Craving Chinese
“Immigrants: we get the job done.” — Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton
On Shorewood’s Oakland Avenue, the Wu family is definitely getting the job done. In a world filled with cookie cutter chains, an old school ethnic eatery is a refreshing change. David Wu and his siblings grew up in his parents’ restaurant, East Garden Chinese, which Wu took over in 2014. Two years later, Wu ventured across the street to open Crave Café, a burger spot featuring traditional American and Asian-inspired burgers and sandwiches.
Wu’s family journey begins in Taiwan and Hong Kong, moves through Hawaii, then Los Angeles and lucky for local diners, continues to Milwaukee.
In 1970 Wu’s mom, Wendy, left Taiwan to study business at Hawaii’s Brigham Young University. “The weather is similar to Taiwan, so it was an easy transition,” Wu explains. A year later, Wu’s father, Sik Kin, immigrated from Hong Kong to Hawaii, enrolled at BYU and met Wendy. Like many college students, the couple worked in restaurants. “My dad worked as a chef at (army base) Fort DeRussy… he didn’t have any experience; he learned along the way,” Wu explains. On the job training paved the way for Sik Kin’s career, but his passion was also for art. “My dad got a Master’s in art from UWM and taught Chinese brush painting for six years,” Wu adds. Some of Sik Kin’s original artwork still graces the walls at East Garden.
After they discovered that teaching and selling artwork didn’t generate income, Wendy and Sik Kin decided to open a restaurant. “My dad was familiar with the Shorewood area, he saw gas stations for sale and decided to purchase this spot. Shorewood wanted them to open a flower shop, and it took four years before they were allowed to build a restaurant,” Wu explains.
Wendy and Sik Kin were determined to focus on food and in 1983 they opened East Garden. “When I was young, I was always running around the restaurant, then at Shorewood High, I went to East Garden every day for lunch,” Wu recalls. Once he was old enough, Wu began helping out. “I’d do a little of everything, but when my older brother Richard went off to college in Minnesota, I took over making the sauces,” Wu adds. David is the only sibling involved in the family business: Richard still lives in Minnesota and Wu’s sister Judy operates the Eastern Wisdom Healing Center.
Wu continued to work at the restaurant through his college years, “I got a bachelor’s degree in supply chain operation management from UWM.” After graduation, Wu made his way to the West Coast. “I worked at a Japanese restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and a tea house.”
When he moved home, Wu modernized East Garden’s operations and menu. “We updated to a computerized system, I fine-tuned the menu… we added authentic dishes including a Chong Quing style chicken.” Inspired by his grandmother, Wu added a Taiwanese dish, “I developed a braised beef noodle soup, it’s based on a staple in Taiwan, but I added different flavors to make it even bolder.”
Wu also brought Asian bubble tea to his menu, “No one in Milwaukee was doing this type of tea, we use fresh brewed tea… a lot of international students come here just for our bubble tea.”
Two years ago, Wu joined Milwaukee’s burger scene. “I took the traditional flavors of Korean barbecue and put it into a burger,” he explains. Crave Café’s menu reflects the Wu family’s Asian ethnicity, “We take Japanese katsu breaded pork loin, American cheese, shredded cabbage, katsu sauce and put it on a brioche bun. We do the same with the Korean barbecue burger… it’s the flavors of Korean barbecue in burger form.”
Wu truly appreciates his parents’ hard work, “When my parents came to America, they wanted to be here for the opportunity. They were lucky enough to come to the states and go to school and start their own business.”
The ‘secret sauce’ to a successful restaurant? “One major aspect is hard work, but most importantly it’s the passion and dedication to the restaurant and the customers,” Wu adds. “We’ve been very appreciative of the community, I know the community well and I know what people like flavor wise and price point.”
There’s a compelling reason to believe the Wu family legacy will be secure for another generation. Wu says, “I have one daughter, Zoe, she’s five and it’s definitely fun seeing her experience life the same way I did growing up in the restaurant and, if she wants to, she’ll be here helping out.”
