Chinatown’s historic Wing Noodles closing in Montreal

Quebec’s largest Asian noodle and cookie manufacturer that has been rooted in Montreal’s Chinatown for more than 100 years, is closing. 

Wing Noodles production at their building on the corner of Côté and de La Gauchetière West will cease at the end of November which will mark the end of an era. 

“Wing noodles is not only a family business, it is also a much-loved fundamental member of the Chinese community as a whole, in part because Mr. Arthur Lee’s unshakeable support for the community,” said Bryant Chang, a Wing Noodles employee whose relationship the Lee family dates back three generations.

The family business has provided fortune cookies, rice noodles and sauces to many Chinese restaurants in Montreal over the years.

“One does not work for Wing Noodles, one works with Wing Noodles, and the Lee family very much our extended family,” added Chang. “It is the pride and joy of our Chinese community over the last century,” said Chang. “Everyone I know shares a feeling of sadness and loss, because it represents the end of an era.” “For someone who lives in front and who

“One of them is not in good health, so he’s due to go in for an operation. And the second brother said, I can’t run this business on my own at this point. So they’re at the age where they’ve worked their whole lives here. They’ve spent almost 60 years here, and it’s a well-deserved retirement, I believe.”

The company started as an import/export business in 1897, but in 1946 it began producing fresh Chinese noodles, egg roll covers and won ton covers.

“You lost an iconic place and I think that everybody’s going to miss this Wings Noodles,” said Bill Wong, the executive director of the Montreal Chinatown Development Council. “They have been a pillar and iconic figures here in the Chinese community in the last 50 more years.”

The production of Wing Noodles’ famous Yet-Ca-Mein dry noodles began in the 1950s and by the 1960s, the operation expanded to rice noodles, almond cookies, fortune cookies and sauces.

“For someone who lives in front and who walks by Wing Noodles every day, I feel that we need very much to preserve and cherish this landmark business and building as part of our heritage, and of our daily landscape,” said Carmen Tang, the new Chair of the Association of Chinatown residents and Chinatown resident.

According to its website, Wing Noodles is the first East Asian food manufacturer to offer bilingual messages in their fortune cookies. Their products are also certified kosher.

“Most of the restaurants give away the free cookies at the end of every dinner, supper, or even lunches. And even some tourists or people that lives in Montreal come specifically in Chinatown just to get those cookies. Even till this day, I get asked, like, ‘Is there any cookies at your restaurant?’” said Tang.

One Montreal artist came to deliver this fortune cookie lamp he designed as a gift to Wing Noodles, only to discover that it will be closing. 

“I thought the fortune cookie lamp could be a part of the shop front, and also kind of me paying a part of my contribution to my community as well. But I didn’t know it was closing,” said Peng Zhang, a Montreal artist.

Wing Noodles will continue to be produced out of Toronto and Edmonton. The future of the Wings Noodle building is uncertain, but it is listed as a heritage building on Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications website.

“A building that is not occupied is also a building that’s extremely at risk. So, for sure, we are going to look into making sure that there’s a project that comes along with this building. And of course there’s already talks, especially in the community, to have to develop such projects,” said Taïka Baillargeon, the assistant director of policy of Héritage Montréal.

Community leaders here would like to see it be transformed into a commercial and residential building with a cultural museum to share the building’s history. 

“The new owner is a developer named Shiller Lavy,” said Wong. “They want to sell it, but I hope the Chinese, well, we, the Chinese community, we’re going to put forward a plan, how that we’re going to buy it back from him.”

Chang added, “The artifacts need to be preserved for future generations, okay. I want them to know that’s how our ancestral roots started.”