In 1996, a 15-year-old Andy Yuen and his parents stepped off a plane from Hong Kong to meet their relatives. The family was en route to Wynyard, Saskatchewan – population: less than 2,000 – to help run Andy’s uncle’s Chinese restaurant.
They persisted, grew, branched out and moved to the regional city of Saskatoon. Odd Couple, an Asian fusion diner born of engineer Andy’s drive to do Canadian-Chinese in a contemporary style, exemplifies Saskatoon’s growing reputation as a culturally diverse food hub.
Andy’s path to success wasn’t easy. Like many immigrants, he was a cartographer mapping an unknown land. He integrated into the community finding his bearings in life and business while trying to live up to his parents’ lofty expectations. Now, at Odd Couple, Andy is the boss, and his parents work in the kitchen he and his father argued over before they opened their doors in 2014.
