It was family that caused restaurateur Peter Huang to uproot his life for the second time.
After running a restaurant in Kingston for about 18 years serving a variety of Thai cuisine, he decided to come and open up a new spot, with his popular menu offerings, in Newmarket about two months ago.
It was a way to be closer to his family, many of whom have moved to the Toronto area, Huang said.
“I have a lot of family here,” he said. “We looked at the market. (Newmarket) is getting good and we try to get in … We like to cook, we like to do service.”
Spicy Island opened in Newmarket at 1065 Davis Dr. Near the corner of Leslie Street, the new restaurant offers a mix of Thai, Cambodian and Haaka cuisine.
The Huang family got into the restaurant business after immigrating from China to Kingston. Huang’s wife, May Huang, said they decided to come to Canada after her sister-in-law did so.
“Before in China, so many people, we don’t have much work to do,” she said, adding that family "always said come to Canada, look for a better life.”
The pair made roots in Kingston and raised a family there. May Huang said their restaurant became well-reviewed and garnered a positive reputation.
“Our customers like our family,” she said.
Peter Huang did factory work back in China but said cooking for others soon became an appealing idea to him once he immigrated to Canada.
“We liked to cook,” he said. “I enjoy cooking good food for the people."
The family left behind a stable customer base in uprooting from Kingston to come to Newmarket. Building back up can be difficult at first, May said.
“It takes time to build up your customers. It takes four or five months, but we’re working hard,” she said. “
“We have to build up our own thing,” Peter said. “But once the customers try us, we get a lot of high reviews, that’s the main thing.”
May said she hopes they can build up longstanding relationships with their patrons as they did in Kingston, learning their names over time.
“I like to chat with customers,” she said. “In Kingston, customers become our family … always care for the customers like that.”