A Son’s Journey to Retiring his Father

A wholesome story of a son and his father.

Richard Wang, 25, is on a mission to retire his father who opened their family restaurant in Richmond Hill, Ontario in the year 2006.  And, after twenty-years of being open, Northern Dumpling Kitchen, a family owned restaurant might just be ready for a new owner. 

For the longest time, Wang always knew that one day, the responsibility of running the family restaurant would fall onto him. It’s just a matter of time, but for now, Wang is on a learning journey trying to create every item on the menu, and what it’s like to be in charge of running a business. 

“I’ve known that this is something I’m supposed to do,” Wang says. 

“Even as a 10-year-old kid, I felt like you can logically see the progression,” Wang continues to add.

Northern Dumpling Kitchen is like a second home to Wang, but despite growing up in the restaurant and the restaurant life being a part of him, he has no prior experience with cooking Chinese dishes. 

“I can make pasta, I can fry eggs, but I can’t stir-fry things. It was just really daunting trying to cook at first. Many of the foods I cooked in the beginning were pretty bad, but I’ve quickly gotten a lot better,” Wang says. 

Online, we can see Wang learning to cook his cultural dishes, and making an effort to retire his father, but behind the scenes is another story taking place. The story of connecting with his culture and overcoming communication divides. 

According to Wang, communicating with the rest of the staff at the Northern Dumpling Kitchen has been more complicated than cooking itself.

“The language barrier is really tough. My Chinese is good, but it’s not professional level.When the restaurant is working in the kitchen, pressure is high. It’s loud in the back. It’s hard for me to say any intricate or articulate, high-level thoughts. And so I’m very limited to move the pan, or it’s like, oh, turn the heat on,” Wang says. 

“I’m trying to teach myself big words, like determination, ambition. The biggest thing I’m trying to do is just to talk more and have more conversations and not switch to English when it gets tough.”

 The journey has been nothing short of an easy one. Wang continues to experience the ups and downs of what it means to one day own and run the restaurant. Every step is being documented on social media, showcasing the reality of what it means to step up, and take the reins.  

“Trying to Retire my Dad” is an ongoing series where Wang tells his story, while showing off his culinary skills through cooking one meal a day. So far, he is more than half way through the menu which consists of more than a hundred items. 

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The inspiration behind Northern Dumpling Kitchen comes from the Wangs’ home country of China, specifically Northern East China. More than 20-years ago, Wang’s parents took a leap of faith and moved across continents, travelling more than five-thousand miles in search of something brand new. 

Wang’s father wanted to pay homage to their past and establish a familiarity in their present lives, while simultaneously serving their community and the rest of the city. Everything started from scratch without knowing the life or culture here in Canada.

The restaurant life has always been a part of the family for more than two decades, and will continue to be as Wang becomes the next in line to take over the establishment. 

“My dad doesn’t even speak English well, can’t read it, can’t use a computer, but he’s been able to do all this. And look at me, I can use a computer, I can speak English, I can do all these things. I can use ChatGPT to understand Mandarin if I have to. So, let’s see what I can do,” Wang says.

As Wang continues his journey, a new era is on its way. 

The video series posted by Wang has created foot traffic at the Northern Dumpling Kitchen. There’s been an increase in the number of guests attending the restaurant Monday through Friday, and especially on the weekends. 

Seeing how hard his parents have worked, Wang’s been inspired to work even harder. He wants to continue the legacy and expand the restaurant beyond expectations.

“I always felt like I don’t want to just take over the restaurant and keep the status quo. I think I’m set to improve upon it and do amazing things,” Wang says.