Edward Chang‘s cuisine quest

Sept. 27, 2006

It might seem an odd juxtaposition at first - the low-key dining room decorated in shades of preppy pale yellow, green, and blue coupled with the spicy, exotic flavors of the Far East - but once you dine at Harbor Springs’ Chang Cuisine, you’ll see that it’s a meeting that’s set to please both palate and clientele.
Opened in October of 2005 by Edward Chang, the tiny restaurant, which has just a few tables for dining-in plus a rapidly expanding carry-out business, is winning fans across the region, as locals and visitors both are glad to find that Asian cuisine has finally moved into town. 
Edward Chang knows a lot about 
moving - just after finishing high school in San Diego, California, Chang, who is now a proud husband and father, moved up to Big Rapids to learn how to cook and to work with his uncle, who at the time owned the Golden Chopsticks restaurant there. 
Chang later moved further Up North to Traverse City, to continue working for his uncle at TC’s Golden Chopsticks location, and he worked there for seven years.  “And then,” Chang explains, “I felt that it was time to venture out on my own,” a decision made easier for him when his uncle sold Golden Chopsticks in June of 2005.
 
GOOD LOCATION
“I had visited Harbor Springs a few times,” Chang remembers, “and I felt that a good location for my own restaurant would be either Harbor Springs or Suttons Bay.  Harbor Springs seemed quieter, and I also felt that the town could, perhaps, use more diversity, so I decided to move here.” 
Chang opened the restaurant during the slow months of the fall, steadily and surely winning local fans over with his mix of Chinese and Thai cuisine, which he chose to serve first as a more subtle introduction to Asian food for the uninitiated. 
“As far as the Thai food goes, people seem to really like the Gang Curry and the Pad Thai,” Chang says, “for Chinese, the Egg Rolls and our Sweet and Sour Chicken are very popular.  And for Japanese food, it is mostly the Teriyaki that people like.” 
But Chang’s goals aren’t merely to serve great food - he would also like to expand the tastes of his customers into even more diverse Asian cuisine. 
“The ‘Happy Family’ is a dish that I would like to see more people try,” he explains, “it is lobster tails, scallops, and shrimp, all in a garlic sauce that is extremely good.” 

SUSHI TOO
Chang has also been working on a sushi line for the past three years, and just last month began adding sushi selections to Chang Cuisine’s menu.  “The sushi is doing well, very well,” he enthuses, “I’m actually going to start a sushi special where, if you purchase one sushi roll, you can get the second for half-off.  That will hopefully encourage more people to try sushi. And I hope to make more additions and expansions to the menu as time goes on.”  
And, as more and more people find out about Chang’s great cuisine, it’s likely that he’ll need a larger dining area to accommodate them all.  
“Yes, we would like to make the restaurant itself a little bigger eventually,” he continues, “We’re just trying to see how everything goes.  I’m especially grateful to my Uncles Kelvin and Chong for all of their support, and, of course, to my wife for putting up with me,” he laughs. “Their support has been very important, as has that of the locals.  So far, we feel very welcome, we are enjoying serving our food, and Harbor Springs is proving to be a great town.” 
 
Chang Cuisine is located in the Fairview Plaza just north of downtown Harbor Springs off of State Road, telephone 231-526-7107. Entrees start at $5.50; Sushi starts at $4.50.