Austin Wong left graduate school in 2016 to start his dream restaurant. The Baton Rouge native was in the food sciences program at LSU when he decided to stop taking classes and start making plans.
After two years of brainstorming, menu planning and renovations, Wong is ready to open the doors to his new restaurant. Chow Main will introduce downtown to its Chinese food by November. The restaurant is in the former Pam’s Capital Corner Market, in the same structure as the Main Street Market and Galvez Parking Garage. Chow Main will feature both traditional and nontraditional Chinese dishes with hints of Southern cuisine scattered throughout the menu.
“This is really a representation of who I am,” Wong says.
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Growing up, Wong always had a relationship with food. His grandfather, father and uncles were involved in the local food scene and have restaurants in both Baton Rouge and Port Allen. He remembers visiting Taiwan, his mother’s birthplace, and falling in love with Chinese snacks like marble tea eggs, a boiled egg that’s usually cracked and then reboiled in tea, sauce and spices.
With Chow Main, he wants to expose Baton Rouge to both sides of his culture: Taiwanese and Cantonese. His menu will feature Chinese staples like those marble tea eggs, chicken bao, cold noodles, basil chicken and fried rice. On the non-traditional side, Wong will offer stir-fried cauliflower rice, sloppy joe bao and twice-fried chicken bao.
“This whole process has helped me to appreciate my history and my past,” Wong says. “I’m starting to learn more about myself.”
Inside, the restaurant is filled with light streaming in through the tall windows. Pops of red bring color to the space and accent the large painted rooster on one wall. The rooster isn’t just there for show—both Wong and his father were born the year of the rooster, according to Chinese astrology. So the rooster is an important symbol in his life. (He even has two of them tattooed on his chest.)
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Once Chow Main opens, customers can order food to dine in or as take-out. Wong plans for the restaurant to be open seven days a week, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and as the business continues to grow, it will stay open later.
Chow Main will have its grand opening at 501 Main St. early next month. For more information and updates on the restaurant opening, follow Chow Main on Instagram.