When Kenneth Wan looks back at the months prior to opening his first Denver restaurant in 2019, he recalls a myriad of important decisions that needed to be made about the menu. At the top of the list: Which dumpling wrappers to use for his signature chicken-and-chive-stuffed Chinatown Dumplings.
Wan and his wife Doris Yuen, then recent transplants from New York City, went to a local Asian market and bought 10 different kinds of wrappers for an at-home blind taste test. Their favorite product was tasty, sturdy, and, coincidentally, made locally by a company called Kwan Sang Noodle Company.
The couple was intrigued and also a little shocked. Could they really get authentic Chinese products made in a city where less than 4% of residents identify as Asian?
Wan and Yuen decided to visit Kwan Sang’s Denver factory in person, where they saw flour cascading in the air and heard the hum of machines turning out fresh flour noodles, egg noodles, dumpling and wonton wrappers — all of which have been featured on the menu at the couple’s restaurant, MAKfam, ever since.
“Being new to Denver and not really sure if I was going to find all the products I would like to use as a chef, it was comforting to find that factory,” Wan said.
Diners may have never heard the name Kwan Sang Noodle Company, but ask local restaurateurs and they’ll tell you it is an essential part of the Asian food scene. Originally opened in 1984, the company manufactures noodles that show up dunked in bowls and sauced on plates across the Front Range, acting as vessels for chefs to showcase their unique culinary perspectives.
Kwan Sang’s most popular items, however, are its fried wonton wraps. According to general manager Simon Zheng, the company turns out roughly 400 cases of those per week to serve its client list of more than 50 restaurants.
People don’t usually realize that most restaurants don’t make their own wonton wraps, Zheng said, or that the company that does is local. “That’s probably the biggest surprise for most consumers,” he said.
Zheng is well acquainted with the restaurant industry, having spent much of his childhood in the dining room of his parents’ former establishment, Sun Wah Chinese in southeast Denver. Mom Rai Win Ng and dad Wei Chi Zheng are from the Guangdong Province of China, and made their way to the Mile High City more than 30 years ago. Simon Zheng was born and raised here.
“I’m a first-generation American-born Chinese, ‘ABC’ as some will call it,” Zheng said. “I was one of those kids that after school I would just head to the restaurant and do my homework there. That happened for a good 27 years of my life.”
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The family purchased Kwan Sang Noodle Company in 2019 to be able to work more regular hours and have more free time than they did operating a restaurant, Zheng said. At the same time, they helped continue an institution of more than 40 years — and a prolific one at that. The factory makes about 350 pounds of noodles weekly, which adds up to 16,800 pounds per year, “minimum,” Zheng said.
Making noodles, however, is different from making noodle dishes.
“We went in there blindly, almost, but we were thankful that the previous owner and even workers that are still with us were able to show us the ropes of how everything was done,” Zheng said. “We didn’t change anything, all the recipes stayed the same as the original.”
The quality and consistency of Kwan Sang’s products are what keep customers like Ben Whelan, chef and owner of Farang Thai Kitchen at Avanti food hall in Denver, coming back. Prior to opening in March 2025, Whelan considered making noodles in-house for his specialty Khao Soi soup. But due to space constraints and the need for additional equipment, he decided against it.
Once his food distributor turned him on to Kwan Sang, Whelan said there was no reason to do the extra work. The egg-wheat noodles — which are both boiled for the soup and fried for a garnish — are simply too delicious to pass up.
“They have a nice amount of chew to them and are also that nice balance between chewy and tender. They also fry really well,” Whelan said. “They’re also incredible as a snack fried, as well. You throw a little salt or tom yum seasoning and they’re like a long round cracker.”
Locals are particularly lucky not only because Kwan Sang noodles show up in local restaurants, but also because the company sells directly to the public. Anyone is welcome to stop by the factory at 1140 W. Louisiana Ave. to grab a bag of noodles or a package of wrappers for use at home.
“I love seeing new faces and meeting new people,” Zheng said. “Just seeing people who come in to use our products brightens my day.”
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