Community Highlights: Meet Joe Luo of Love Bao Taiwanese Kitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Luo. 

Hi Joe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved from Taiwan to the United States 30 years ago and worked in various restaurants owned by my family. In 2014, I decided to move back to my home country to learn alongside my father-in-law. My father-in-law, Chef Huang Wen Shung has over 40 years of experience in Taiwan cuisine including working as a private chef for Taiwan billionaire, Wang Yung-ching. The following year in 2015, I opened my first restaurant in Keelung, Taiwan. The restaurant’s popularity grew and eventually caught the attention of the media leading to several food show features. This validation and success launched the plan to move the restaurant to the United States. Love Bao Taiwanese Kitchen was opened in Cary, NC in July 2019. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We opened in July 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic happened just a half year later. The pandemic’s effects plus the struggles of being a new business made it a definite challenge. We, just as many other restaurants, adapted to new protocols and ways of operating. We are very thankful for the support through all the takeout orders we got during the height of quarantine! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Love Bao Taiwanese Kitchen?
Love Bao Taiwanese Kitchen is focused on serving authentic Taiwanese cuisine. We serve some of the same street foods you can find in a street market in Taiwan right here in Cary, North Carolina. We specialize in gua baos – also known as the Taiwanese hamburger. This very popular street food is made up of well-balanced flavored pork belly stuffed into a fluffy bao bun. The toppings include cilantro, peanuts and pickled mustard greens. My father-in-law and I specifically focused on perfecting this recipe during my time in Taiwan, as this was his most popular dish. 

Any big plans?
We would love to be able to franchise into other parts of NC and license our products into stores! 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@lovebaokitchen.com
• Website: www.lovebaokitchen.com
• Instagram: lovebao_taiwanesekitchen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveBaoTaiwaneseKitchen/
• Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/love-bao-taiwanese-kitchen-cary

Image Credits
@nceatandplay
@taylorhopemclean