Anew food truck, WE Little Wok, opened on May 29 in Grand Marais. It offers a nice menu of fresh Asian cuisine, including fried rice, wontons, egg rolls, and entrees such as General Tso’s, Sweet and Sour, and Orange chicken. Located at 910 East Fifth Street in Grand Marais, the food truck is open Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Grand Marais has been an Asian food desert since the 1990s, when the bowling alley bar, the only place for Asian food, closed—no more.
Sisters, Marja Erickson and Karli Wiinanen, born and raised in Cook County, saw a business opportunity to bring quality Asian cuisine to friends and visitors in Grand Marais.
The business was a hit on opening weekend. “The second weekend was just as busy,” Marja said, “which is a good sign to have people returning.” She reported that the biggest surprise of the opening was how fast they ran out of food.
Before opening, Marja and Karli researched the menu, and it shows with the three main entrees they’re serving. Bill Copeland provided the new business with the fried rice recipe that was a hit in the bowling alley days.
Marja expressed her gratitude for the local support that WE Little Wok has received. Notably, food experts Jim and Christy Marshall of Double D’s Catering provided invaluable support, information, and motivation. Johnson’s Foods in Grand Marais also played a significant role in helping the new business get off the ground.
Marja also acknowledged the sisters’ support from their father, Jim Wiinanen, in helping with the business’s logistics and location. A few others chipped in as well.
Marja is often asked about the location on the city’s east end, and not in downtown Grand Marais. The site offers space for picnic tables donated by Sam Baines, owner of the Blue Water Cafe and Marathon station in Grand Marais.
“I wanted the place to be easy for local people and visitors to access and hang out,” Marja said.
The name WE Little Wok holds a special significance. The ‘WE’ represents the first initials of each woman’s last name, Wiinanen and Erickson. The ‘Little Wok’ was a cherished possession of their late mother, and it is proudly displayed on the business’s sign, which was crafted by local sign guy Dave Steckelberg.
General Tso’s Chicken is a sweet, spicy, deep-fried dish featuring crispy, bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken tossed in a thick, sticky sauce that combines sweet and spicy flavors. It is one of the most iconic and beloved dishes in American Chinese cuisine and is a staple on Chinese-American restaurant menus.
General Tso, or Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), was a highly respected and formidable Chinese statesman and military leader during the late Qing Dynasty. He was born in Hunan province, which is significant as Hunanese cuisine is known for its bold, spicy, and often sour flavors.
There is no evidence that General Tso ever ate, let alone invented, the chicken dish that bears his name. The dish, as we know it, is largely unknown in mainland China.
The dish was actually invented by Chef Peng Chang-kuei from Hunan province, who fled to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalists after their defeat by the Communists in 1949. He claims to have created the original version of General Tso’s Chicken in Taipei in 1952 and brought it to New York in the 1970s. He named it in honor of the revered General Zuo Zongtang, who was from the same home province as him.
