In Their Kitchens

Sibling Revelry

Brother and sister Wilson and Judy Wu know when to break the rules of food. The results are inspiring

- by Sally Johnston  

There’s no mistaking Wilson Wu when he drives up to the entrance of the Wild Tangerine Cucina Domestica, one of the two popular Asian fusion eateries he runs in Edmonton with his chef and sister, Judy Wu. Wilson’s attention-grabbing vehicle, an environmentally friendly Smart car, does double duty as a travelling billboard for the restaurants. It is custom-painted in a dazzling mix of pink, green, red and black with the words “Wild Tangerine” emblazoned down the side. Gimmicky? Perhaps. Good marketing? Definitely.

His jazzy car is creative, striking and playful – much like his restaurants’ inventive East-meets-West menus, where Moroccan mint lamb is a pizza topping, Italian bocconcini cheese is tucked into a spring roll, and Chinese spices are a finishing touch, adding pizzaz to a plate of French fries.  

“We get lots of people waving,” says Wilson of the car. “We don’t do home delivery. It’s my personal car. But it is good for branding our name. And it’s a reminder for customers, who see the car and think, "Oh, the Wild Tangerine. I think I’ll go there again.’”

At the foundation of this operation is a dedication to daring yet healthy cooking with plenty of vegetarian options, designed to fit into Albertans’ hectic lifestyles. In addition to their restaurant, the siblings also operate Wild Tangerine Mobile Cuisine. This tiny fast food outlet, with its vibrant orange walls, stainless steel counters and stools, is located in the downtown business core. It has been serving nutritious soups, salads, rice bowls and snacks, such as rice noodle cakes, since 2006. Wilson and Judy are now hoping to shape the way their customers eat at home. Their latest venture is a small but innovative line of freshly prepared frozen dinners, made by Judy and her handful of kitchen staff at the main restaurant.

 “We want to make our food a part of people’s lifestyles, whether it’s lunch on the go, dinner at home or in our restaurants,” says Wilson.

The Wus are targeting busy professionals who have disposable income but limited time, who are in search of premium homestyle fare that they can quickly heat and serve to their families. Their bagged meals are a far cry from the frozen meat-and-veg dinners in the average supermarket. For example, their individual-sized pizzas are made with organic flaxseed dough, topped with Alberta bison sausage, tofu, gorgonzola and cheddar cheese. Soups, such as sweetcorn and roast garlic, are made with homemade stocks, and are dairy-and flour-free, ideal for people with food allergies. Their entrees, such as the lemongrass pork and tangerine tandoori chicken, come in aluminum boil-in-the-bag packages, which Wilson says makes for foolproof reheating.

“You just put it in the boiling water and set the timer according to the instructions. There is no stirring involved and you don’t have to worry that it will burn the pan.”

The vacuum-sealed packaging is extremely sturdy and even stood up to his kids’ home science experiment: being kicked around in a game of backyard soccer.

“It was pretty scratched up, but didn’t break,” he laughs. On a more practical note, he adds, the packaging would allow the food to be shipped pretty much anywhere. If their line of frozen food proves successful, the Wus hope to expand and sell it through high-end grocery stores across Western Canada.

The siblings are veterans of Edmonton’s culinary scene. For 10 years they ran Polo’s, a successful restaurant in the city’s university area. When their lease ran out they took a couple of years off to travel widely and, in Wilson’s case, to get fit through running and yoga. When they re-grouped again in 2004, they decided fine dining was really no longer their thing.

“We wanted something more casual,” says Wilson. When Wild Tangerine Cucina Domestica opened close to Grant MacEwan College downtown, it featured a welcoming dining room painted in calming earth tones, inspired in part by Wilson’s interest in yoga and meditation.  He felt newly aware of the spirituality of food, he says, and what it could do for your body. The siblings were soon winning rave reviews again, with unusual pairings such as Alberta bison short ribs braised in Chinese rice wine and shrimp lollipops, skewered and wrapped in phyllo pastry. When you bite into one, the pastry pops in your mouth. “It’s not just a taste, but a sensation, and brings out the child in you,” says Wilson.

Fresh ingredients are a must-have for the Wus; a couple of times a week, Judy makes shopping trips to local shops, including the Italian Centre grocery store and the markets in Chinatown.

“I don’t like shopping for clothes but I never get tired of shopping for food,” she says, adding that she’s particularly fond of bok choy and other Chinese greens.

Their current menu features Alberta bison as well as Sturgeon Valley pork. It’s important to them to incorporate a sense of regional cuisine, and support local producers so that future generations can identify with those flavours and foods, says Wilson. Two years ago, he was part of an Alberta food and agriculture delegation that attended a forum in Washington, D.C., to promote the province’s regional fare. Judy’s culinary skills have also received numerous awards. She took first place in the prestigious Edmonton Gold Medal Plates competition, a fundraiser for Olympic and Paralympic athletes. She beat out nine others and was the only female competitor.

Judy and her brother are as different as chalk and cheese. Wilson is a trained chemist, outgoing and has that entrepreneurial flare. Judy, who trained as a chef in Hong Kong, prefers to stay behind the scenes and often works in the kitchen until the early hours of the morning. Both say working in partnership with a sibling has its ups and downs, but their different strengths are a great combination.

“I liken us to a good bowl of soup – she has all the wonderful ingredients and I am the stir stick!”  

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