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New restaurant here brings Cantonese classics

BY GERI KOEPPEL

AFN Contributor

Ah-Wok-Tukee Asian Cuisine, featuring Cantonese classics and more, soft-opened Dec. 5 on Chandler Boulevard near South Marketplace Way in Ahwatukee Foothills and already has seen lines out the door.

The grand opening is slated for Jan. 7, with discounts at dinner for dine-in only.

Owner Tammy Loc, who moved to the neighborhood from Gilbert in 2020, correctly predicted the market demand.

She said she got the idea for the eatery after noticing the space was vacant and realizing there were no Asian restaurants in the immediate area.

“Everybody who comes in, the first thing they say to us is, ‘Thank you for having this here, because we needed it,” Loc said.

In addition, with 1,050 homes and more than 450 rental units planned farther west in the Upper Canyon development between 19th and 27th Avenues, “that encouraged me to jump at it,” she said.

As a teenager, Loc ran her parents’ Asian restaurant in southern California. Though she entered a career in real estate, she noted, “My all-time goal was to open my own restaurant.”

Once she started seriously considering the idea, she contacted her brother, Jason Loc, who was a chef in Alaska with 15 years’ experience in the industry. Loc asked if he’d be interested in helping her open, and he moved to Arizona in May.

Jason Loc serves as Ah-Wok-Tukee’s “wok master,” Loc said. “He can fry two woks at one time,” she said.

Head chef Steven Ly, who has 30 years in the business, oversees the products and food, and Lee Thao is the manager.

see WOK page 30 Ah-Wok-Tukee Asian Cuisine manager Lee Thao and owner Tammy Loc already are seeing lines out the door for the restaurant’s flavorful Cantonese specialties and more. The grand opening is Jan. 7. (Geri Koep-

pel/AFN Contributor)

Pakistani woman restaurant owner made inroads in U.S.

BY ANISA SHABIR

AFN Contributor

Guy Fieri is leaning back, his right foot up against a black signpost, his smile stiff beneath a black and white goatee. His eyes are looking straight into the camera – or at least his sunglasses are. The poster sits near the checkout counter at Curry Corner, and beneath his photo, the celebrity chef has written words that Farah Khalid cherishes: “Curry Corner, Keep Cookin’… Guy!”

Khalid is the owner of Curry Corner, an unpretentious but beloved Pakistani restaurant near the Arizona State University campus, that is, as the Phoenix New Times puts it, “the go-to take-out place for many locals craving curry or perhaps a big succulent heap of tandoori-cooked chicken or kebabs.” For 20 years, it also has been a mainstay for college students, especially those who come from South Asia and who miss the foods they have grown up with. Curry Corner’s food reminds them so much of home and Khalid so much of family members that they soon begin calling her “mom or aunty,” Khalid said.

“I come here thrice or four times a week,” said Anish Jain, who lives across the street from the restaurant, “I am from India, but we share the same border with Pakistan and the food tastes the same as if I eat at home.”

Khalid grew up in Pakistan and married a diplomat, which meant postings to different countries.

The first was to Austria in 1985, where she gave birth to her two children – a daughter and a son. The family went on to live in England, Portugal, Sydney and Qatar before arriving in the U.S. in 1998.

Her travels brought her into close contact with new cultures. “When you go to different places, you see their culture, and it makes you know about their food,” she said.

But once she arrived in Arizona, she began to miss the food she had grown up with. She couldn’t find a local res-

Farah Khalid owns Curry Corner, an unpretentious but beloved Pakistani restaurant near the Arizona State University campus.

(Anisa Shabir/AFN Contributor)

WOK from page 29

But Jason Loc created the recipes, which include staples such as orange chicken, kung pao chicken, Szechwan beef, sweet and sour pork, and of course, egg rolls, potstickers, wonton soup and more.

The menu also features food that Loc and her brother grew up with, she said.

“Hong Kong pan noodles, chow fun, Singapore noodles, ma po tofu—It’s a tofu in a Szechuan sauce,” she said. “One of our favorites is our salt and pepper chicken wings.”

What makes their food special, Loc noted, is the sauces. Some, like the one on the BBQ spare ribs, are on the sweeter side, and others, such as the Szechwan sauces, are fiery.

If a customer wants more heat, Loc said, “We can make it really spicy.”

Orange chicken and Hong Kong style pan fried noodles are the best sellers so far, and a couple other favorites are the Triple Delight, with chicken, scallops, shrimp and mixed vegetables stir-fried in garlic sauce, and the General’s Chicken.

Anything can be ordered meatless or with steamed instead of fried tofu. “We pretty much try to accommodate as

CURRY CORNER from page 29

taurant that served Pakistani cuisine, and her brother, Syed Ahsan Bukhari, who also had moved to the U.S., would remind her that “our food is so good; it has so much aroma; it has so much taste in it, and nobody knows about it.”

“The idea came into our mind, and we thought that we should make an effort to bring our food to Arizona.”

So, the two decided to open a fullfledged Pakistani restaurant.

In 1998, they opened the Copper Kettle Express on East Lemon Street and, by 2002, Khalid was running the restaurant on her own.

For 10 years, business was good. Then her landlord filed for bankruptcy and Khalid was told she had to be out in two weeks. it was a shock, she said, but she was determined to find a new place, and she wanted it to be close to ASU. “I wanted to be in the Tempe area,” she said, “ASU students have been coming to my restaurant; it’s a feeling of home.”

What she found was a former “hookah place” on Apache Boulevard, not Ah-Wok-Tukee, which opened Dec. 5 on Chandler Boulevard near South Marketplace Way, sells favorites like egg foo young and

more. (Courtesy Ah-Wok-Tukee Asian Cuisine)

much as we can,” Loc said.

Customer John Pinto of Ahwatukee is a self-described “big Asian food fanatic” and said he was “pleasantly surprised at the quality and genuine Asian flavors” at Ah-Wok-Tukee.

He said he’s “delighted that it’s here, frankly.”

Pinto added, “The soups are great; the General’s Chicken is phenomenal,” and commented, “I’m going to frequent the place on the regular.”

Appetizers range from $3.50 to $17.99, and entrees range from $12.99 to $16.99, with hearty lunch specials including egg roll, rice and soup offered for $11.99 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except for 3 to 4 p.m. for the staff lunch break.

No liquor is available, but Loc said she might start selling beer and wine in the spring and is looking into allowing BYOB in the interim.

The cute and memorable name, AhWok-Tukee, was thought up by Loc’s friend Jon Eurich. She subtitled it “Asian Cuisine” instead of “Chinese Cuisine” because she plans to add Thai, Vietnamese and other dishes.

“We’re going to test out chef’s specials,” Loc said. “Maybe on a Saturday we’ll serve pho.” They’ll gauge the demand before adding anything to the menu permanently, she noted.

Also, Loc said, many people have asked about online ordering, and they plan to

far from her first restaurant. Within two months, she had renovated the space and opened a new restaurant with a new name – Curry Corner.

She worried about whether she had made a good choice. “I thought … maybe people will come back or maybe people won’t come,” she said. “But when people saw my face and tasted the same food, they said, ‘Oh my God, you are the same people.’”

In 2013, Khalid expanded the dining area from 20 seats to 60 and installed new gold-tinged lighting. She had the walls painted a vivid shade of orange.

In an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” in 2013, Fieri, the celebrity chef, featured Khalid making Goat Karahi (Karahi is an Urdu word for a wok and hence the name of the meat cooked in it).

She also made Tandoori Chicken Tikka (tandoori is a clay cylindrical oven and tikka are marinated pieces of meat), and naan bread.

Fieri found out about Curry Corner from an article in the Phoenix New Times. He was interested in knowing more, so he decided to pay a visit and bring a signed poster with him.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 4, 2023 add that soon, along with delivery services. About 85 percent of their business is takeout, but Loc recently hired more staff so people can enjoy table service.

And Loc took care to create a welcoming ambiance for those dining in. “If you look at a lot of Chinese restaurants, there’re red and black,” she said. “I wanted more of a modern look.” She chose blue and black for the interior, with attractive wire basket light fixtures. Two big-screen

TVs are usually tuned to sports.

Loc said she loves getting to know people’s names and creating a friendly, family environment. “I wanted a restaurant where I could see my regulars everyday and interact and get to know people,” she stated. 

If You Go...

What: Ah-Wok-Tukee Asian Cuisine, serving Cantonese classics and other Asian cuisines Where: 1420 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite B-103, Ahwatukee. Hours: Hours: 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 4 p.m.–8 p.m. Mon–Sat Contact: 480-687-5845; ah-woktukee.com

“It was a surprise for us, and we were lucky that he visited,” Khalid said.

Everything about Curry Corner is reminiscent of Pakistan. Diners listen to Bollywood/Lollywood music while they eat, with lyrics in Hindi or Urdu. Photos lining the walls include one of former prime minister and Pakistani Cricket team captain Imran Khan holding a 1992 cricket World Cup trophy.

When she’s not busy in the kitchen, Khalid makes her way around the dining room, greeting guests. If you’re from Pakistan, you might end up in a conversation about what it’s like to be far from home and what you hope to accomplish in this new country.

“America is a land of opportunities. If you work hard and stay dedicated, you can achieve anything,” she said.

And if you’re lucky, she’ll tell the staff to bring you a complimentary dish of Kheer, a traditional Indian Subcontinental sweet dish made of milk and rice.

One of the first dishes Farah cooked for her customers was Nihari, a slowcooked stew from the subcontinent, rich in gravy. That was followed by biryani and chicken tikka.

In 2006, the menu and the staff grew when Khalid hired Gul e Rana as the cook.

“Pakistani women are very hardworking,” Khalid said as she introduced Rana, who was scuttling to get orders ready in the kitchen.

Rana initially arrived in the U.S. with her husband on a visitor’s visa. But after her husband’s death in 2002, she decided to start over in Arizona, where her sister was living.

When Khalid first hired her, she said she didn’t even know how to cook. “Farah baji (sister) helped me learn. So I am working as a chef now.” “I make sure students who have left their homes don’t feel that they are away from their parents,” Rana said, “So I ask them about food and offer it to them since I have a son myself and I know how it feels.”

Khalid wants to open a new branch of Curry Corner in Gilbert or Scottsdale in the future. She said the most important lesson she has learned during her years in the restaurant business is a simple one: “If your dil (heart) and niyat (intentions) are pure and you dedicate yourself, then you will be successful.” 

31 Trust is a fragile thing when it comes to money

BY HAROLD WONG

Guest Writer

Every year, the Gallup Poll asks Americans their opinions of the ethical standards of various professions.

The results of the 2021 Gallup Poll, reported in a Moneywise article by Sarah Cunnane, found 9% believe car salespeople are very honest and ethical; only 12% members of Congress, 13% of insurance salespeople as well as advertising professionals, 14% of stockbrokers, 20% of the nation’s governors and business executives, 22% of all lawyers and 24% of labor leaders.

In contrast, the 10 professions rated most honest and ethical are: nurses (85%), engineers (66%), physicans (65%), pharmacists (64%), dentists (61%) police foficers (51%), college teachers (49%), psychiatrists (43%), chiropractors (41%) and clergy (40%),

The 2008 Gallup Poll said 14% rated stockbrokers for high or high honesty and ethical standards and this was the fifth worst-rated profession. Only 25% rated real estate agents as highly ethical and this was the ninth worst professions.

In contrast, 42% rated accountants as highly ethical and this was the 6th best profession. The third best profession was high school teachers and 60% ranked this profession as highly ethical. Nurses remained #1 rating and 85% rated the profession as highly honest and ethical.

This data should create a dilemma for the public.

Would you trust your life savings to the advice of a high school or college teacher who has read books his whole life, but has never started a business or worked in the real world? In contrast, stockbrokers and insurance agents have worked in the private sector, but aren’t rated as very honest or ethical.

Nursing is consistently rated as the most honest profession, but would you let a nurse advise you on your investments, real estate, taxes, and other financial issues?

In reality, only 35% of Americans use a financial advisor, according to the Northwestern Mutual 2022 Planning & Progress Study. Most people tend to either ignore their financial future or decide to be their own financial advisor. The analogy in the legal field is: “He who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client.”

If most Americans don’t use a financial advisor and instead rely on themselves, please look at a study by Ramsey Solutions titled “The National Study of Millionaires.”

The top five careers for millionaires are: engineer, accountant, teacher, manager, and attorney. Three out of four said that regular, consistent investing over a long period of time leads to success.

They spend less than $200 a month at restaurants and 93% of millionaires use coupons all or some of the time when shopping. Nearly three-quarters have never carried a credit card balance in their lives.

In other words, most millionaires have great financial discipline and are logical. They are able to avoid impulse purchases and instead save steadily for decades until they become millionaires. Most Americans don’t trust stockbrokers or insurance agents and rely on themselves instead of a financial advisor. It’s true that no one cares about your money as much as you do.

For lots of useful financial information, go to drharoldwong.com and then click on the “Published Works” link. You will find all of my Times Media Group articles as well as relevant articles by others.

Attend my free live seminar and supper Jan. 26 at Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler. The seminar is 6-7:30 p.m., followed by a free catered supper. The topic is “Beat Inflation by Saving Taxes and Increasing Income!”

To RSVP for the seminar or schedule a free consultation, contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480-706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His website is drharoldwong.com. He earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/Berkeley and has appeared on

over 400 TV/radio programs. 