nom wah tea parlor

On today's episode of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer's guest is Wilson Tang, owner and operator of Nom Wah, the century-old New York City brand, who has overseen the brand's expansion over the last decade with outposts in Philadelphia, Nolita, Chelsea, and Shenzhen. To celebrate the restaurant's centennial, Wilson published his first cookbook, The Nom Wah Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from 100 Years at New York City’s Iconic Dim Sum Restaurant (October 2020), which celebrates his restaurant and the local businesses around it. Today's show also features Shari's PR tip to celebrate lasting brands; Industry News Discussion on The New York Times' The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now, by Tejal Rao; plus, Shari's Solo Dining experience at the legendary Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, MI, which has been championing local farmers and food purveyors for over 40 years; and the final question. 

** Check out Shari's new book, CHEFWISE – Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon, Spring 2023, #CHEFWISEBOOK), now available at Phaidon.com, Amazon.com and wherever books are sold! 

** Join Shari in Philadelphia on Monday 10/9 for Happy Hour at El Merkury presented by Cookbooks & Convos where she'll be reading passages from her book and signing copies, and small bites and drinks by Delola will be served; tickets available at OpenTable. 

** Shari is also celebrating the 20th year of her company, Bayer Public Relations, which she founded in October 2003. Happy Anniversary! **

Photo Courtesy of Nat Chitwood.

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Wilson Tang, owner of Nom Wah Tea Parlor, says he’s merely the gatekeeper of the historical New York City dim sum eatery that’s been open since 1920. 🥟 After Wilson took over Nom Wah from his uncle, he expanded the business to multiple locations and into frozen delivery products. He doesn’t take credit for introducing dim sum to Americans, but Nom Wah gave dim sum a modern makeover with all day service, a wine and beer list and a lot of social media love. 

His advice for budding restaurateurs? Don’t do it. 🙃

Wilson and I also talk about:
💔Why he hopes young people fail often and fail hard in their endeavours 

🥬 His best home cook dishes + favorite Chinese ingredients 

💰Why he treasures the value of being frugal

COVID-19 is here, and as of this week, plans for reducing its impact are starting to affect Americans’ day-to-day lives. Hundreds of events have been cancelled or suspended, including SXSW and the remainder of the NBA’s season. The stock market is basically a financial roller coaster due to global uncertainty in the face of COVID-19, and President Trump instituted a ban on travel from Europe, with the exception of the UK. However, the virus continues to spread in communities across the country.

In a public health crisis, it can sometimes feel like the food system is being reshuffled before our eyes. That’s why this week we are taking a look at how outbreaks, both past and present, shape the way that we eat.

We have stories about COVID-19's effects on NYC's Chinatowns, how World Central Kitchen mobilized to provide emergency food logistics for the Diamond Princess in Japan, the locust plague wreaking havoc in East Africa and South Asia, and why food fraud is so dangerous and hard to detect.

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Elaine Chen of The New York Times and Wilson Tang of Nom Wah Tea Parlor join us to talk about the evolution of Chinatown -- one of the few historic immigrant working class neighborhoods left in Manhattan. We dive into Elaine’s experience writing her Times article “As Manhattan’s Chinatown Changes, Food Vendors Keep a Bit of the Old with the New”, Wilson’s experience running the iconic Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown, and we discuss the broader cultural trends of a changing neighborhood. We attempt to get to the essence of what makes Chinatown, Chinatown.

Photo by Mary Inhea Kang for The New York Times

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