Ming Tsai Already Dreams of Expanding His Forthcoming Restaurant

Ahead of the closure of his popular suburban restaurant, Blue Ginger, longtime Boston chef Ming Tsai provided some hints about his new project, a fast-casual restaurant concept called ChowStirs. The new restaurant is on track to open in Downtown Boston in early 2018, according to the Boston Herald, and it marks new territory for the chef, who has operated Blue Ginger for 19 years, as previously reported. Tsai is also behind Blue Dragon in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood; that restaurant will remain open.

Tsai, who is also a food television personality and cookbook author, recently appeared at a Cooking Live event to benefit the cancer charity Family Reach at the Ritz-Carlton, where he discussed the decision to close his Wellesley restaurant at 583 Washington St. The decision was timed with the end of the restaurant’s lease in the building and sets up Tsai to pursue this new project, per the Herald.

At ChowStirs, Tsai will continue to carry the mantle for food allergy issues, allowing guests to customize stir-fry dishes with healthy ingredients that will be cooked in a wok on the spot. Dishes will cost between $11 and $15.

The restaurant will be another way Tsai will support the Family Reach charity in the style of Paul Newman, who gave 100 percent of his salad dressing proceeds to charity. Tsai reportedly envisions expanding the ChowStirs concept into a chain, potentially expanding far beyond Greater Boston.

• Ming Tsai on His Next Big Thing [BH]
• Ming Tsai Is Closing Down Blue Ginger in Wellesley [EBOS]