Eat Your Way Around the World: Chefs Shun and Lisa Cai, Shao Xing, China

Like many restaurateurs, Shun and Lisa Cai are used to dedicating themselves to their restaurant: Lisa says her work days often stretch for 12 or more hours, starting after she takes her children to school each morning at 8 o’clock. They believe it’s worth it, however, as they pursue their dream of a better life for their family.

When Shun first moved to America, he worked at his uncle’s restaurant, China Palace in Cape Girardeau, where he learned to cook from watching his uncle and the other chefs. When Lisa moved to the U.S. seven years later, she joined Shun, working part-time at the same restaurant and also learning to cook. Nearly six years ago, they decided to open their own restaurant, Rice Noodle Cai on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, in order to have more independence as well as flexibility in their work schedules while raising their two children.

“I appreciate the customers. They make me happy,” Lisa says. “They love our food, they love our service.”

Lisa Cai packages food with utensils and condiments at Rice Noodle Cai in Cape Girardeau.Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

In China, Shun says traditional stir fry dishes include soy sauce and sesame oil. The dishes he makes at Rice Noodle Cai are not traditional Chinese stir fries, however; Lisa says Americans like food that is much sweeter than the food in China. Also, many of the vegetables used in stir fries in China, such as bamboo, are not readily available in Southeast Missouri, Lisa says, while other vegetables such as broccoli that are not traditionally eaten in China are available here.

In Cape Girardeau, Shun says he enjoys buying ingredients used in a variety of countries and combining them in new combinations to create stir fry dishes that, like America, are made up of a combination of cultures. He says in his cooking, he uses simple ingredients like noodles, rice, soy sauce and sugar, but with these ingredients, he gets creative — peanut butter chicken, chicken curry fried rice, and coffee chicken have all made an appearance on the menu.

Shun Cai stir fries lo mein noodles in a wok in the kitchen at Rice Noodle Cai.Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

Lisa says their regular customers often come in to order the same meal, and she knows exactly what they want when they walk through the door or pull up to the drive-through window where she takes their order with a smile. Customers’ love for the food is why Shun continues to cook in his style.

“So, I just keep my style,” Shun says. “I keep doing what customers like; I run my business good so I am happy. That’s my job.”