Reading Taiwan Panorama while in America makes me feel closer to our beautiful island of Taiwan. My whole family was very impressed with the report in the January 2012 North American edition on the tastes of Taiwan. The wonderful articles and the rich photos inspired me to write the following in response.

In 2009, my son Aron completed his graduate studies in architecture at Harvard. As he’d promised, he went to the reconstruction area in New Orleans to help build homes for people. Once his one-year contract was up, his old professor recommended him for a teaching position at Louisiana State University. Last year, Aron had the good fortune to be hired by a local architectural firm, so he could return to his field of specialty and put into practice what he’d learned. One Sunday evening, while making his regular phone call home to check in with his parents and sister, he said, “Dad, Mom, on Saturday I opened a restaurant. It’s called Tsai. Since I was a kid, it has been my dream to open a restaurant and cook for everybody. Seeing everyone eat my cooking makes me so happy!” How could we not be surprised by this news? It turns out that it all happened due to several coincidences.

A restaurant owner who didn’t operate on the weekends offered to rent out his premises to Aron on those days very cheaply. A recent college graduate from Taiwan who likes cooking was charged with rounding up customers out front of the restaurant. Then, a middle-aged man who’d lost his job came to him and asked if he could wash dishes in order to save money to go back to school. These self-starters helped Aron make his dream come true.

Aron generously offered some young musicians the chance to play at the restaurant and helped them get through a tough economic spot. With everything falling into place so well, Aron’s venture has been a great success! His restaurant Tsai has many special features: First, the time and place of its opening are all up to chance, as it depends on unopened restaurant spaces. His loyal customers and fans have to watch his web page for word of when and where it will open next.

He has rented out a private luxury home and he’s borrowed a disused bridge from the city government as a space for his “pop-up restaurant.”

Also, he insists on a completely vegetarian menu. The healthful, tasty cuisine has won the faith of local gourmets.

Early in the morning Aron heads to the farmers’ market to select fresh, in-season vegetables in order to guarantee the appearance, aroma, and taste of each dish. When his students saw him carrying all that produce back and forth, they asked if he needed a hand. Once the farmers got to know Aron and saw how serious he was, they started giving him a special discount.

Aron insists on authentic Taiwanese-style cuisine. He starts preparing his sauces the day before the restaurant opens.

His method for making his mushroom dipping sauce is a very careful set of steps, and the result certainly pleases the palates of his customers. He also makes his own soy milk and jiu­niang, and in the past he’s made vegetarian stuffed rice balls and vegetarian baozi.

Aron is bringing Taiwanese cuisine to New Orleans. In addition to the authentic favors, he’s also bringing Taiwan’s food culture to the world.

Tsai’s combination of healthy vegetarian cuisine with a participatory approach of “enjoying fine food together” has been a remarkable hit with diners.