The city’s Chinatown is a compact neighborhood where you can walk from one end to the other in 10 minutes. Few would name-check Chicago as a North American Chinese culinary mecca, unlike a Flushing or Monterey Park. By population and business density, it’s no Manhattan or San Francisco. One of his all-time favorite preparations is salt and pepper, which is used in chicken, pork chops, and fish: “Everyone loves fried food whether you’re American, Chinese, or Indian.”Ĭai applies the salt and pepper technique to his.Chicago’s “Second City” moniker extends to its Chinatown. The added space will allow Cai to experiment, something that he enjoys.
Starting next week, the restaurant will slowly phase in items like pork belly skewers and lollipop chicken. One of the reasons he couldn’t offer those items right away in Humboldt Park was because he was waiting for the right smoker: “It’s not like I can go to Walmart and buy it,” Cai says. Cai points out that proper Chinese barbecue involves hanging ribs and pork butts up for an extended period. One specialized in dim sum and the other in Chinese smoked meats, which are different from American barbecue. The younger Cai says his father apprenticed in China for award-winning chefs. His pickup orders sold out by 3:30 p.m.Ī post shared by 3 Little Pigs father, Qi Cai, worked at a variety of restaurants in Chinatown. Opening day was Sunday, November 27, in Humboldt Park and Cai offered an abbreviated menu of a salt and pepper chicken sandwich, crab rangoon, and mango smoothies. Cai says he worries that if he immediately enables a third-party delivery service that new customers will pigeonhole his restaurant thinking it’s only a fast-food sandwich shop. Once the equipment arrives, look for 3 Little Pigs on Grubhub and DoorDash. “Everything I’ve done in the past is coming back,” Cai says. A wok station and a smoker will allow Cai to cook fried rice, barbecued meats, and other items, including pot stickers, Mongolian beef, and sweet and sour chicken. Instagram ordering will continue for now with a truncated menu until additional kitchen equipment arrives later this month. His Cantonese and Chinese-American food was available sporadically, and customers would need to be quick on the trigger when an Instagram post went up announcing that orders were open.īut there’s good news for fans: Cai recently settled into a new commercial kitchen in Humboldt Park where he’ll be able to sell carryout six days a week. Henry Cai used that method to build up a following for his Chinese restaurant, 3 Little Pigs, named for Cai’s signature fried rice that features three types of pork.Ĭai launched 3 Little Pigs as a one-man show in early 2020 near UIC. It provided an opportunity, in the same way food trucks and food halls do, for entrepreneurs to establish brands and test out recipes without the expenses attached to running a traditional restaurant. The pandemic gave rise to Instagram as an ordering platform for customers to connect with motivated cooks, bakers, and bartenders selling food and drink using direct messaging.
| 3 Little PigsĬhicago native Henry Cai has grown 3 Little Pigs into a wonderland for Chinese smoked meats and more Three Little Pig’s salt and pepper chicken sandwich.
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