CHOW provides an Asian-inspired menu
SuAn Chow places an order at her walk-up restaurant, CHOW, at Station Park in Farmington
Tacos of coconut-lemon grass chicken, and spicy beef with cilantro-chile pesto are served at CHOW, a new walk-up restaurant at Station Park.
Egg rolls served at CHOW, a new walk-up restaurant at Station Park.
The woman who brought the gourmet food truck trend to Utah is bringing her Asian-inspired menu to Farmington’s Station Park.
SuAn Chow’s small walk-up eatery, aptly named CHOW, is located in a food pavilion on the west side of the Station Park fountain plaza. It has most of the same menu as her flaming yellow CHOW truck that is a familiar sight around the Salt Lake Valley. You’ll find items such as coconut-lemon grass chicken tacos, spicy beef sliders with cilantro-chile pesto, or flash-fried calamari.
For Chow, it’s just one more step in a long career in the restaurant industry. Her parents, who immigrated from mainland China, owned “The New China” on on 2100 S. State Street in Salt Lake during the 1960s, and then The Polynesian on 900 S. Main Street in the 1970s.
“So I was exposed to the restaurant industry as a child,” she said. “I worked at the Polynesian in my early teens and also danced with the Polynesian floor show on the weekends.”
In 1985, she opened a contemporary Asian restaurant, Charlie Chow, and owned it until 1993, when she moved to New York City to work in the fashion industry.
“I lived there for 16 years, but my family is here in Salt Lake City, so I was spending my time split between the two cities, and I was looking for a new challenge,” she said.
She noticed that gourmet food trucks, such as the Kogi BBQ Truck in Los Angeles, were gaining momentum in big cities. So why not be the first in Salt Lake City?
She came up with an Asian-inspired menu, “served in a format that everyone understands, such as tacos, sliders, salad, rice or noodle bowls. It is a great alternative as restaurant quality, delicious healthy food in a quick grab-and-go-fast concept.”
And given her name, “CHOW Truck” was an obvious choice of monikers. Since her truck is mobile, fans check her website and Facebook page to see where she will be parked during the week.
In the five years she’s been in business, she’s seen a huge number of other Utah entrepreneurs jump on the bandwagon, or chuckwagon, so to speak. The trend has spawned such TV shows as “The Great Food Truck Race,” and “Food Truck Face-Off.”
But she’s also seen a lot of trucks come and go.
“I feel that too many folks think that a truck will be an easy business to operate,” Chow said. “The food truck business is all-consuming and if you think you can do it part-time for fun, it is a rude awakening. Trucks are a small moving restaurant, and you have to be equally committed as you would a brick and mortar place, or you won’t survive.”
She pointed out that Utah presents unique challenges such as cold winter weather, and a lower amount of pedestrian traffic than found in some other major cities. Food trucks rely on walk-up customers.
Chow noted that in order to succeed, a food truck needs to offer something original to build a fan base.
“If you just have something that can be attained anywhere — such as a sandwich — what is amazing and so special that someone would want to seek you out for your sandwich or item?” Chow said.
In keeping with that philosophy, Chow’s menu is definitely not your typical fast food. Where else could you find Jalapeño Rabbit & Rattlesnake sausage, with lime chili aioli, Asian slaw, feta, and sweet teardrop peppers? Or a slider of Utah elk, with smoked gouda, chipotle aioli, and chimichurri?
Now, foodies in Davis County don’t have to go to Salt Lake to find her truck; they can just head to her small restaurant in Station Park, which shares dining space with Sugar Daisy Bakery and Bandidos.
“I was approached by Station Park to do a Chow walk up,” she explained. “And I decided to support that location, as it is a rapidly growing area that could use some urban influence. It is nice that at Station Park there are tables and chairs available so that you can grab a bite on the way to the movies or while shopping, when you don’t want or have the time to sit down in a restaurant.”
The walk-up window area mimics the look of the CHOW truck, with stainless steel and yellow accents. But because it’s tucked away inside the pavilion, fans should look closely for the red-and-yellow CHOW sign in order not to miss it.
Chow feels the food truck trend is here to stay, and her CHOW truck is here to stay too.
“The truck is established,” she said. “And I love it, but it will also be a treat to have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter at Station Park! It’s also been interesting to hear how many of our Salt Lake customers live in and around Farmington. We can’t wait to see them here.”
www.chewandchat.com