China Latina: More than a name, a new way to cook

China Latina: More than a name, a new way to cook

Fact Sheet:

? Name: China Latina
? Location: 3715 E Busch Blvd. Tampa, FL 33612-8774
? Cuisine: American Chinese Food, Spanish Cuisine
? Capacity: 25
? Offers: Take-out, Dine in
? Signature Dish: Pepper Steak with Onions, Mofongo con Carne Frita(Spanish food), Chicken with Broccoli, etc.
? Year of establishment: 2005
? Phone: (813) 868-3228
? Owner: Guozheng Huang

The Scene at China Latina

China Latina is an unusual blending of Chinese and Spanish flavors located in Tampa, Florida. With a humble dining room of 1200 square feet that seats twenty-five patrons, China Latina is primarily a takeout restaurant. While unassuming on the outside, looking at its extensive and tight menu allows you to understand that this is no ordinary Chinese restaurant. Owner Guozheng Huang has created a unique blend of tastes and has offered it to the local population in an efficient, progressive, and fast package. China Latina is not a place to miss.

The restaurant is fortunately located near a large park and in a residential area of the city. Due to the advantageous location, the patronage of the restaurant is increasing little by little as word spreads of the restaurant’s quality. The walls are decorated attractively with pictures of some of the more popular items on the menu. The colors liven up the restaurant’s décor while the pictures themselves help sell the dishes. The room itself is an exceptionally clean, comfortable dining area.

The restaurant does not advertise because the owner, Guozheng Huang, does not feel the need to. “Customers get to know our restaurant by word-of-mouth. Customers know our food by the recommendation of their friends. Our restaurant is renowned so that the guests highly praise our dishes. Many customers told me that they drive from far away…just to sample the food at China Latina! ”

The Food

China Latina serves American-style Chinese food in the Szechuan and Cantonese disciplines specifically.  But what separates China Latina from other eateries is the addition of Spanish food on the menu and the integration of its wildly different spices and flavors.

As a take-out style eatery, a wide variety of items must be available to the customers. The food is prepared in a variety of ways, including baking, steaming, grilling, stir frying and deep frying. Stir-frying is mainly used in the preparation of Chinese food, and deep-frying is frequently adapted in cooking Spanish food. The owner, Guozheng Huang, explains that: “I am not boasting that we can cook whatever patrons require [But] customer-oriented service is fully conducted.”  

With so many items to choose from, there are obviously many popular dishes at China Latina. Pepper Steak with Onions, Mofongo con Carne Frita(Spanish food) and Chicken with Broccoli are among the most popular. They are all famous for their fantastic taste. “Especially our Mofongo, it is well accepted by the Spanish customers, not only for its authentic taste, but also for the reasonable price. Besides, our House Special Fried Rice is also very attractive for patrons,” explains the owner. 

As anyone in the restaurant business will tell you, healthy dishes are getting more and more popular with American diners. Sautéed Broccoli, Mix Chinese Vegetable, and Bean Curd Home Style items are designed to address this growing focus on healthy-eating. The healthy dishes offered at China Latina are all cooked with little oil, little salt and no MSG.
China Latina is a community based restaurant and builds its reputation through word of mouth. The customers never hesitate to praise a dish upon tasting it. The owner is aware of the high praise customers give certain dishes, and he seeks to embody and live up to that high standard in all elements of his restaurant’s service.

The restaurant’s reputation is aided by a unique approach to cuisine- combining the flavors of Spain and China to make a thoroughly unique menu. But when customers sample the dishes, they’ll be hooked!
 
The Service

Staff members in China Latina are always ready to provide professional and considerate service. Customers’ needs are always the priority for the staff at China Latina. “Our staff members are all aware of different customers’ different needs. They are welled trained to be a service-conscious staff.  Many customers come from long distance for our food, it’s our honor to satisfy them all,” explained the owner. 

Regular cleaning job is done everyday to keep the restaurant spotless. The hygiene is emphasized at all times. The dining area is well kept with crumb-free floors. When you step into the restaurant, you will find yourself immersed in a simple but clean setting. The open kitchen design aims at providing convenience for food delivery, but also demonstrates the restaurant’s confidence in their hygienic condition. “We are confident that the supervision from customers every day can make them more satisfied with our sanitation. They can watch our cooking process while waiting for their orders.”

Professional chefs work in the kitchen on any given evening. Cooking techniques are practiced and perfected. The cooking time and method really affect the taste of each dish. The smallest difference in something as simple as frying time can separate the good from the bad chef. Mr. Huang explains his philosophy thusly: “Enticing food comes from quality control. I pay a great deal of attention on the kitchen management.”

When Mr. Huang first took over the restaurant, the customers were not flocking to China Latina. However, he and the staff got through those hardships with patience and confidence. “Because I always have a belief that our food is worth of each visitors payment, it just needed more time for the local people to get to know us. Now we have built our fame in the local community.” Mr. Huang is constantly pushing his restaurant to be better and to constantly progress with the times. He believes that stagnation will end a business, and therefore he updates everything in China Latina to make the business more dynamic and active.

We purchase fresh materials every day, to make sure that everything we use is fresh and abundant. Only the good material can come out with good food.

Owner

Guozheng Huang arrived in America in 2001 with a dream to live a better life. Good things never come easy and in the beginning, the adjustment to American life was tough. “I had to adapt to the brand new life style of local people,” explained Huang. “Luckily, I had a chance to do a job in my relative’s restaurant, and learn how to cook, how to run a restaurant, and after four years hard working, my efforts paid off.” He took over China Latina in 2005. The business was not very good at the beginning, but due to his hard work and confidence, the situation changed to for the better. “Now I am on the right track to continue my success,” the ambitious owner declares.

Message from the owner: “Success comes out of great efforts. You also have to be patient, responsible, and persistent to get your achievement.”