It is 9.30pm in Scarborough, in Canada’s Ontario province, and just as most people are thinking of getting ready for bed, 28-year-old Anna Peng is about to get back to work – after already having put in a 13-hour shift.
She has just closed Great Fountain Fast Food, her family’s beloved Hong Kong-style eatery, for the day, and now it is time for cleaning up.
“I first started doing two-hour shifts at Great Fountain while I was still in school, just to help out my mum,” she says. That was the beginning of her journey as the second-generation steward of a restaurant that her parents have owned for more than 10 years.
Today, she juggles both front and back of house, greeting customers while also cooking dishes like satay beef fried noodles and baked pork chop rice in the kitchen.
A portion of baked pork chop rice at Great Fountain Fast Food. Photo: Great Fountain Fast Food
It is no secret that she originally hated working at her family’s business.
Dining and Cooking