Woos and Ahs: Entire family gets into the act for Vegas restaurant

Ken Miller

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

It's easy to believe the entire Woo family wanted to be in the restaurant business.

Mother Ming See is the chef of the family-owned restaurant, Mayflower Cuisinier, and her reputation is known across the country. (Her husband, Henry, suffered a stroke 15 years ago and has since retired, although he stays involved.)

Her son Peter is executive chef at Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Her daughter, Theresa, and son Tony serve as general manager and assistant manager, respectively, at Mayflower Cuisinier.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Mom and Dad never planned on operating a restaurant when they immigrated from China in the late 1960s -- in fact, both were content for years to work at Las Vegas' hotels as dishwashers and dealers.

And their children all attended universities with the intent of pursuing their own interests -- none of which involved restaurants or food.

"I don't remember any of us being interested in food when we were growing up," Theresa said.

Things might not have worked out the way they planned, but you won't hear anyone in the family complain. Over the past quarter century, Mayflower Cuisinier has evolved into one of Southern Nevada's premier dining destinations, with numerous awards and accolades to its credit.

The interior has two main dining areas; a step leads to a second, slightly raised section. Cherry-wood chairs belly up to wooden tables with a large square of granite in the center, and gray carpet contrasts with the white and beige tones of sponge-painted walls.

The kitchen is well-hidden from patrons, and decoration consists of Chinese urns and paintings by local artist Ron Jensen. The entire establishment is well lighted, with large windows letting in the maximum amount of sun.

A spacious outdoor patio area is blocked off from passing motorists by large potted trees and a small iron trellis covered with greenery. A white iron fence surrounds iron chairs and tables.

The tables themselves are bolted to the ground, sending a subtle message to customers: This restaurant and the Woo family aren't going anywhere.

Child's play

Ming See, 56, was born and raised in Hong Kong, and her earliest memories are of watching her mother cook. In slightly broken English, Ming See said her favorite recipes as a child were "the duck with taro and seafood. My mother was good with seafood. That's why I think my specialty is seafood."

She got to watch her mother cook for two years, and then her skills were put to work "when mom went to work in the factory."

"I cooked for my grandparents and younger sister," Ming See, who was 10 at the time, said.

Her mother soon returned from work, however, much to Ming See's delight.

"I didn't like it too much," she said. "I had to kill the live fish."

The memories of her brief stint as a cook stuck with her, but mostly as an unpleasant memory.

"In Hong Kong, I never thought I'd become a chef, but I love to eat," she said, smiling.

Vegas-bound

Ming See, Henry and their three children came to Las Vegas in 1969 so Henry could be closer to his parents.

"In Chinese custom, the oldest son takes care of the parents when they're old," Theresa said. "Our father was an only child. He wanted to be together as a family."

Ming See's parents moved over six years later -- when Henry and Ming See became naturalized citizens.

During that time, Ming See and Henry decided to work for Las Vegas' hotels. Their goal at that time was being able to support their family, and to save enough money to open their own business.

Ming See went to work at the Dunes, working her way from dishwasher to pantry person to a cook's helper. Henry initially got hired on as a cook at the Stardust, even though, according to Ming See, he had no prior cooking experience.

Henry soon decided he wasn't cut out to be a cook. He became a blackjack dealer at the Sahara, a job he held for many years.

Their children all enjoyed relatively normal childhoods, but Theresa remembers Las Vegas as a difficult city in which to grow up.

"There was not much to do in Vegas at that time," she said. "Before we were able to drive, we couldn't get around town, because there wasn't much in the way of public transportation."

The ennui felt by the children soon spread to the parents.

"My husband was tired of dealing, so we decided we wanted a restaurant," Ming See said.

Learning to cook

In 1978 Henry and Ming See opened the first Mayflower at the corner of Paradise Road and Tropicana Avenue. At the time it was one of only two authentic Chinese restaurants in town.

The majority of their clientele were tourists, since the business was relatively close to McCarran International Airport.

"Half our menu was authentic food, with Chinese writing on the menu, and the other half was geared toward the tourists -- chow mein, chop suey, what we think of as Americanized Chinese," Theresa said.

Initially all cooking was done by a chef Henry and Ming See brought in from Hong Kong. Ming See started as a waitress, and Henry continued to work at the Sahara for a year before coming over to manage the dining room full time.

When Henry joined the restaurant, Ming See went into the kitchen to learn to cook. She proved a quick study, eventually becoming the restaurant's primary chef. (The chef the Woos hired ended up moving back to Hong Kong.)

In 1990 airport expansion forced the Woos to relocate their restaurant. In 1991 they reopened at the intersection of Decatur Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.

By that time Ming See had radically expanded her knowledge base. The menu was now completely different, featuring more contemporary Chinese dishes with French and continental influences.

"We went around to other restaurants in California and saw what was popular there," Theresa said. "She also looked at cookbooks. She's pretty good once she gets a sense of which direction to go."

Menu items include rare sesame-crusted ahi tuna with ginger dijon-lime sauce, sake-miso crusted sea bass, grilled lamb chops with creamy cilantro-mint sauce, sea bass in spicy X.O. sauce and ginger-chicken ravioli with scallion-szechwan sauce.

While the tourist business declined, Mayflower has continued to flourish through its local clientele. It also does a large amount of catering.

And Ming See has since become one of the valley's premiere chefs. Her cooking kept the restaurant among the "Top 10 favorite restaurants in Las Vegas" in the Zagat Guide from 1998 to 2001, and earned the Academy of Restaurant Sciences' "Best of the Best" award two years in a row.

In addition to teaching cooking classes at the Community College of Southern Nevada, she does consulting work.

"When Main Street Station and Fiesta opened their buffets, she trained people in the Chinese food areas," Theresa said. "And restaurants throughout the country send out chefs to follow her around."

When the Luxor opened in 1993, Ming See helped train the staff the first year, after which she returned to Mayflower.

Strong bonds

Theresa, 36, remembers occasionally busing tables at the restaurant when she was 13, but her interests leaned more toward piano, gymnastics and cheerleading.

"I would hang out at the restaurant on weekends, if I had nothing else to do," she said.

Upon graduation, Theresa attended Long Beach State and majored in business, "but decided I didn't like any of those classes, so I changed my major to liberal arts."

"I wasn't sure what I would work as when I graduated, I just knew I didn't want it to be business," she said. "Somehow I ended up in business."

She graduated in 1990 and was living in Long Beach when her mother called to ask her help in moving the restaurant.

"My plan was to come back for a year and help relocate," Theresa said. "I guess I stayed longer."

Theresa's original job consisted of handling all the paperwork and ordering all the equipment. Once the restaurant opened, she became general manager, greeting customers and handling day-to-day operations.

You won't find her in the kitchen, however.

"I didn't inherit that talent," she said, laughing.

Older brother Peter, 38, and younger brother Tony, 33, both attended the University of Nevada, Reno. Peter graduated with a degree in psychology and Tony returned to the restaurant before graduating.

Peter moved to various parts of the country with his wife, but always found himself returning as well, Theresa said.

"While he was living in California, somehow he came back to help us move, and when Mom was offered the job at Luxor, she brought him on as her sous chef," Theresa said. "He went to live in New York after that, but came back in 1998 and went to work at Nobu."

Peter also helped his mother teach her CCSN classes, and assists her whenever she consults.

"We're a team of cooking," Ming See said.

While Theresa isn't exactly sure what brought her back to Las Vegas, she was quick to offer an explanation for Peter:

"I think what brought him back was family values."

Keeping close

Working with her family, Theresa said, "is sometimes difficult, but overall it's pretty smooth. You can trust them completely."

She added, however, that she sometimes sees her family too much.

"We're closed Sundays, and sometimes we get together at my mother's house for dinner," she said, laughing.

Surprisingly, Ming See finds time for herself, although most of her free hours are spent with her family.

"I go to my Mom's house and play mah jongg," she said. She also babysits and cooks for her 3-year-old grandson, Trevor, whose favorite dish, according to Ming See, is kobe beef.

"We'd better keep working to feed him," Theresa said.

Having her entire family around her is a constant source of satisfaction for Ming See, but just as satisfying is the feedback from her customers.

"I get the most satisfaction when customers give me compliments, and when plates go back into the kitchen all empty," she said.

And while she admitted to being "homesick" upon leaving Hong Kong, she now calls Las Vegas her permanent home.

Ditto for her entire family.

Theresa said some of the restaurant's customers have become like family. "Some have invited me to their second homes," she said.

"I feel lucky," Ming See said. "Some people don't have time to see their kids. I see them all the time." She and Theresa exchanged a quick glance and began laughing.

"What are we doing this Sunday?" Theresa said.

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