Our Rich History: Wong family’s Oriental Wok has been a Northern Kentucky staple for more than 40 years

Editor’s note : Part three of an occasional series about Casual & Fine Dining

By Raymond G. Hebert, PhD
Special to NKyTribune

“When my own country didn’t give me a chance, America did. I will always be grateful.”

Several years ago, when interviewed on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Oriental Wok in Fort Mitchell, Mike Wong, the family patriarch, opened with those words. In that interview with Soapbox Cincinnati , it is “patriotism and community pride” that emerged as the trademarks of the Wong family’s commitment to providing quality food and outstanding service in their two restaurants, one in Northern Kentucky where their youngest daughter Angela and her husband Travis Miller play a major role and one in Cincinnati’s Hyde Park where their oldest daughter Susanna and her husband Guy Burgess are now the primary forces while Mike and Helen slow down a bit. (Hanna Purnell, “Coming Clean: 5 Questions with Mike Wong of Oriental Wok”, soapboxmedia.com ).

Susanna, when asked about her father’s beginnings, said: “he did all of this for the right reasons. He loves his country and his community and wants to make it better.” She then focused on the work ethic that has always been a legacy of the Oriental Wok and that has influenced so many local students whom the Wongs hired over the years.

Mike wisely said that it was important for him and Helen to slow down and travel. He praises his daughters for choosing to follow in their professional hospitality management footsteps. In his words, “it’s rewarding to see second-generation ideas… I planted a seed so my kids and grandkids can enjoy the fruit.” As to why he chose this region, Mike reminisced on how few Chinese immigrants and Chinese restaurants there existed locally in the 1970s when he first came to Greater Cincinnati. He praised his American neighbors in the early years and the Northern Kentucky community after he crossed the river. Overall, he appreciated that “in a smaller city like Cincinnati, I was able to get to know my community faster” (Soapbox).

As an aside, my wife Maureen and I had moved to Northern Kentucky in 1975 and were quickly disappointed not to find any good Chinese restaurants — until 1977 when Mike Wong opened his original Oriental Wok in a strip mall off Dixie Highway — and we became regular customers and fast friends. They quickly became part of the local community and brought excellent food and quality service with them. To this day we are regular customers and proudly have our “Wok Star” in the restaurant’s entry area. The Wongs have brought a predictably delicious and enjoyable dining experience to the community for almost fifty years.

In one example of the importance of relationships the Wong family built, there was a difficult time at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic when some Chinese Americans received death threats simply because the coronavirus allegedly originated in China. Not surprisingly, the community rallied around the Wongs and not only continued to support their restaurant with take-out orders, but the City of Ft. Mitchell chose Mike and Helen Wong as the Grand Marshals for its iconic July 4th Parade, a statement of their support and solidarity. They were deservedly highlighted as a crucial and valued part of the community.

Harkening back, it should be remembered that Mike Wong had been sent by his parents to the British possession of Hong Kong when he was 15 to avoid Mao Tse Tung’s Communist Revolution. That is where he met his future wife, Helen. He had been influenced by Hollywood movies about beautiful places like “Hawaii, New York, Chicago, the Golden Gate Bridge… (deciding) I want to see if I have a chance” (Kaileigh Peyton, “The Wong Family Keeps Overcoming Obstacles Almost 50 Years After Settling in Cincinnati”, Cincinnati Magazine , March 2, 2021 p. 2). A leap of faith and a visa in hand took him to a few Cincinnati Chinese restaurants — where he had known one of the workers — as “he spent hours in movie theaters to learn English.” After two years, he was granted a green card so he could bring along Helen, their two young girls, and “the family piano” for Helen. As noted, Northern Kentucky is where, in 1977, they “opened their own restaurant, so as not to compete with the business in Cincinnati that had helped him get his start” ( Cincinnati Magazine , p. 3).

There were openings of other Oriental Wok locations over the years (Taylor Mill for many years; Ft. Thomas and even the Florence Mall) but in the end, the family settled on what had become the Buttermilk Pike flagship in Ft. Mitchell, with the Wong-Miller playing a major role, and the restaurant in Hyde Park, operated by Wong-Burgess. This combination has functioned for over 15 years with great success and accolades, including recent recognition from Trip Advisors as “#1 in Cincinnati for Chinese food,” along with many other “best of” designations over the years. Meanwhile, among their creative ideas were the inclusion of “Wok Stars” lobby plaques for regular customers to highlight the “family environment” they fostered. Characteristically as well, they treat their staff and their customers with open hearts, greeting each as part of the family.

Like many restaurants, they struggled through the COVID pandemic, but with community support and a thriving take-out business they emerged stronger. Driven as they had been for years by their commitment to quality food, service and a focus on community they never forgot the #1 priority of being “where people go to celebrate and be together” ( Cincinnati Magazine , p. 4). Many birthdays and anniversaries have been celebrated at the Oriental Wok, including for my own family.

Cincinnati Enquirer food critic Keith Pandolfi included the Oriental Wok as one of his highlighted restaurants in a Sunday feature article entitled: “8 great local restaurants for semi-well-behaved kids.” The context was that it was a favorite restaurant of his nine-year-old daughter Sylvia. While praising the Oriental Wok as “easily one of Sylvia’s favorites (on both sides of the river)” he touched on features that have distinguished this iconic restaurant for close to 50 years: from the personalities of the Wong daughters (Susanna and Angela) who “dote on Sylvia like a favorite aunt” to the “pure spectacle and experiences of the Oriental Wok itself,” the one feeling “fancy and refined” (Hyde Park) and the other that “feels like a Disney Vacation (Northern Kentucky)”.

All of that, plus “some good egg rolls and a good Shirley Temple,” and Sylvia could not be happier (Keith Pandolfi, “8 great local restaurants for semi-well-behaved kids”, Cincinnati Enquirer , July 21, 2024, p. 6AA).

These same attributes have been part of the culture and ambience at the Oriental Wok for five decades and a major reason why the restaurant has been so successful for so many years and promises to continue that fine tradition through the devotion of the second generation.

Dr. Raymond G. Hebert is Professor of History and Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty at Thomas More University. He is the leading author of Thomas More University at 100: Purpose, People, and Pathways to Student Success (2023). The book can be purchased by contacting the Thomas More University Bookstore at 859-344-3335. Dr. Hebert can be contacted at hebertr@thomasmore.edu .

Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Editor of the “Our Rich History” weekly series and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). He can be contacted at tenkottep@nku.edu . Tenkotte also serves as Co-Director of the ORVILLE Project (Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Enrichment). For more information see https://orvillelearning.org/

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