WokIn Asian Cuisine Opens In Saint John West
SAINT JOHN – WokIn Asian Cuisine had its soft opening Thursday at 391 Lancaster Avenue in Saint John West, with an official opening planned for next week.
“I had an idea to open a restaurant years ago when I was still in China,” says co-owner Zhoubin Zhou.
He majored in graphic design in China, but many of his maternal family members were cooks, including his grandpa, who cooked on a cruise ship.
“I wouldn’t see him for half a year when I was young because he worked on the ship, but once he would get home we would be so excited because he would make lots and lots and lots of food for us,” he said.
Zhou immigrated to Canada in 2014 and his first job in Saint John was as a graphic designer. However, he took the opportunity to work as a cook at Sense of Tokyo and then went on to work at Mimimi in Milledgeville for three years.
After meeting his business partner, who owned another Chinese restaurant in Prince Edward Island, they had the same idea to open a restaurant in Saint John and proceeded with their plans despite the pandemic.
“We didn’t know if we should do it or not, but rather than staying at home my friends and I thought we could do something – we wanted to do something here in Saint John,” said Zhou.
He added that when they saw a vacant store near Olsen’s Meat and Produce in early 2021, they jumped at the opportunity and began setting up their business.
Saint John West, and the greater Saint John area, doesn’t have many restaurants offering high-quality, authentic Chinese food. WokIn helps fills that void by offering a menu of authentic Chinese food and homemade Chinese pastries, while also providing a comfortable environment to dine in and eat.
“At the moment it’s hard for everybody – people are losing their jobs and no have money,” said Zhou. “We want to provide good-quality food, and also affordable food for the people.”