Sharing love for a cuisine
By Layla Wilder
Chih-Kung and Susan Tsai were content to be shareholders in a popular Asian restaurant in Herndon until they became vegetarians several months ago.Now they have opened Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant next to Lowes in Chantilly, hoping to attract old and new vegetarians.
“I hope this will be a good business that gets people to eat healthy and not eat meat anymore,” Susan Tsai said.
With 40 years of experience as a chef – 10 of them in Taiwan – Chih-Kung Tsai leads the kitchen staff in preparing Asian cuisine, David Su, the Tsai's partner, said.
In contrast to the Charlie Chang's restaurant at Herndon's Worldgate Center, Lotus' menu is all vegetarian and includes organic salads and veggie burgers, in addition to Asian-style entrees.
“If non-vegetarian people can come to my restaurant to try food, it is one less meal with no meat,” said Su, a resident of Fredrick, Md.
“Business is very hard now because we are not popular,” Susan Tsai said. “But I hope people will learn of us and come.”
“If it does well, I want to open another so more people can try the food,” Su said.
The Tsais live in South Riding.