WHIDBEY
BUSINESS
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA BREAKFAST: Applebee’s will be hosting a
benefit flap jacks breakfast 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 to benefit Wreaths Across America. For $10, attendees will get pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs and juice or coffee.
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Saturday, July 30, 2014 • Whidbey News Times
China City expands to location off island By JANIS REID Staff reporter
Jack Ng started in the restaurant business as a dishwasher. Today, he’s the coowner of China City’s two Whidbey Island locations in Freeland and Oak Harbor, and an off-island location, which opened in Mill Creek in July. “We just work hard and focus on chasing the dream,” Ng said. “One dream at a time.” Ng said he has been looking in the Mill Creek area for a third location for a while now because it’s a new, youthful, fast-growing area. Ng’s wife and partner, Angela Vosburg, trained 40 employees in June at their Freeland location in preparation for their Mill Creek location’s opening a few weeks ago. She has since spent much of her time with the new staff off-island.
Ng said they tried to open quietly and get their staff up to speed, but they were on the go from day one. “It’s been pretty busy,” Ng said. “We haven’t even advertised. It’s more than we can handle.” Luckily, the new staff “all turned out really good,” Ng said. Ng, a trained chef, has been spending more time in the kitchen since he has had to send island cooks to Mill Creek to help with the influx of new business. Ng started his chain in 1999 in the Old Town Mall on Pioneer Way and has since moved twice before it arrived at its current Oak Harbor location. A couple years later, the Freeland location opened. The project truly was a family affair, Vosburg said, adding that her husband’s four siblings worked as wait staff. The new Mill Creek
WHIDBEY ISLAND music festival
AUGUST 1—10, 2014 Celebrating our 9th season of baroque and classical chamber music!
location mirror, the two Whidbey Island locations with heated patio seating, landscaping, rock work with imported stones, lounges and dining areas. But the restaurant is still geared toward the casual family-dining experience. “We just want people to enjoy their experience,” Vosburg said. The “destination” type atmosphere Ng strives for is just part of the business. “It’s not just about food anymore,” Ng said. “A lot of people want to go out and socialize.” In both Oak Harbor and Freeland, China City is known for its creative Chinese cuisine as much for being a place to meet for lunch, drinks or conversation. The Mill Creek location, part of a quaint central business district at 15402 Main Street, is something he’s always wanted to build, Ng said. His next big project? “I want to take a break,” Ng said. n Find out more about China City at www.chinaci tyrestaurant.com Reach
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Photo by Janis Reid/Whidbey News-Times
Angela Vosburg, owner and manager of China City restaurants on Whidbey Island, trains new staff members at their Freeland location in June. Vosburg and her husband Jack Ng, opened a third location in Mill Creek in July.
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