For a first-time vendor on the Rideau Canal Skateway, Gary Wu said business has been brisk. However, he’s had to contend with less-than-ideal conditions for food prep and some stiff competition from a popular skateway treat.
Wu is the owner of Super Crunch Tanghulu, which set up shop on the skateway for the first time this season. He said that while the cold has made for a great skating season — and good business — it has posed some problems for the way he makes his products.
“Winter has special operational considerations, especially with how cold it is. Our oil freezes and the water, too. When we make these candied fruits, we need ideal conditions, which are kitchen- or room-temperature conditions, to get the sugar right,” he said.
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Super Crunch Tanghulu sells different types of fruit skewers that are rolled in a mix of boiled sugar and water that, when cooled, makes for a crunchy sweet treat. Wu also operates the neighbouring shack, Dumpling Soup, that sells warmer items such as soup dumplings.
Since kitchen conditions are less than ideal on the skateway, Wu and his team make the tanghulu skewers off-site at a kitchen in Vanier.
“We have a big operation that nobody sees. All they see is the one salesperson but we’ve got five people working and a driver, so six people. Someone has to prepare the skewer; so wash and peel the fruit and take off the leaves. (Someone has to) make the sugar and it takes time to boil,” he said.
“I think that’s why this business exists, because it’s too much work. I trained all my chefs for three months to get it right.”
Summer festivals are easier to prepare for since they can make the tanghulu on-site, thereby reducing costs, he added.
The pieces of fruit need to be large and high-quality to make the cut, Wu said. “If (a fruit) has a bruise, we need to throw it away because (the bruise) will melt the sugar,” Wu said.
Since the skewers are made off-site, Wu and his team need to calculate how many they expect to sell per day and prepare them in advance.
All the preparation has been worth it, Wu said, as he has “not gotten a bad review yet.”
“It’s fresh fruit, which is a draw in itself and it’s not easy to get fresh fruit outside. Some may say the price is high, but that’s because people don’t see the work behind the scenes. I’m running like a headless chicken every day, from Monday to Sunday. You can’t take a day off (in this business),” he said.
While he foresaw success for his candied fruit skewers, Wu felt like he needed a warm food option for those braving the frosty Ottawa weather and to compete with neighbouring vendors offering more seasonal fare.
“Because the candy fruit is cold and is meant to be eaten cold, I needed something hot since it’s winter. I decided on dim sum and soup dumplings. Soup dumplings are unusual, but not a bad fit,” he said.
The Ottawa difference
Super Crunch Tanghulu was founded in Ottawa in 2022 with the idea of catering to shopping malls and festivals. Wu said Ottawa is a special place for food businesses, which is part of what caused him to start his business here.
“We have a lot of business in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and in southwestern Ontario where I think brand loyalty isn’t as strong as in Ottawa … That’s why I wanted to start my business in Ottawa and not Toronto,” he said.
Brand loyalty also makes for healthy competition when it comes to operating on the Rideau Canal Skateway next to something as iconic as BeaverTails.
“It’s tough from a business point of view because they’re pretty strong, their brand, and it’s a great fit for winter, being something warm and chocolatey,” he said.
Wu said that Ottawa is a place where food businesses can blossom into success stories.
“I think people are open to trying new things here. It’s a great place to start a food business. A lot of brands have established themselves here like Kettlemans Bagel and SuzyQ (Doughnuts). We’re supported by the locals and lots of families and I can’t say the same for many other cities,” he said.
Wu hopes to be back on the canal for next year’s skating season with more tanghulu options but, in the meantime, he’s planning on expanding his operations in Ottawa and throughout Canada.
“We are looking at (expanding to) Rideau Centre later this year, but I think we’ve pretty much covered the market in Ottawa. We’re expanding in the rest of the province and maybe out west in Alberta,” he said.
