When the three founders of Café Wow were growing up in the Fujian province of China, they lived less than 15 miles from each other, but never met.
Justin Yang, Yi Chen and Haofeng Chen all came to America to study at Penn State at different times. Each studied a different discipline. Each graduated during a different semester.
But in a twist of fate, the three men met through friends of friends and realized that they all shared a dream.
That dream became a reality this summer through the newly opened Café Wow at 234 East College Avenue: a cozy joint that’s bringing a new flavor to downtown State College.
The café has a unique menu, complete with bubble teas, healthy fruit smoothies and distinctly Asian desserts.
The three co-owners say they want to bring some of their favorite Chinese treats stateside to give Penn State’s growing international population a little taste of home. But, perhaps even more than that, they want to help State College expand its horizons.
“We want people to have more choices, and we want to introduce something new,” Yang says. “These kinds of places are becoming a trend in China, and we thought it would be a great idea to start this trend over here.”
Many residents may already be familiar with bubble teas, which are becoming increasingly popular. The café offers everything from traditional green and jasmine teas, to interesting concoctions like papaya milk tea and kumquat lemon tea.
State College resident Tracy Beckett and her 5-year-old daughter Zoë recently stopped by Café Wow and tried their black tea, which comes with the tapioca bubbles that give bubble tea its name.
Beckett says she was intrigued because the drink “looked interesting,” while Zoë excitedly says that the bubbles “taste like blackberries and are chewy and delicious.”
“I love this, and I’ll definitely be coming back for more,” Beckett says. “Plus my kids love it, so that’s all I need.”
Even the smoothies are unique, Haofeng Chen says. Each one uses an avocado puree as base, which provides a natural creaminess that’s healthier than fatty dairy alternatives. But once fresh fruit like blueberry, mango or honeydew gets mixed in, you can’t even taste the avocado (unless, of course, you get the avocado smoothie).
But perhaps the real gem that sets Café Wow apart is its dessert menu. Many of the items involve fresh fruit or a fruit puree, often served with coconut milk or an Asian specialty known as grass jelly. Yang explains that grass jelly comes from boiling a special herb with jelly powder, creating a gelatin that tastes like lightly sweetened tea.
The three friends envision their café as both a place to grab a quick treat and a social space to use the free wifi, study or hang out. With a little luck, they even hope to open similar cafes in other college towns in Pennsylvania in the coming years.
“A lot of Americans have probably never had anything like this before, so it might seem a little different trying it for the first time,” Yang says. “But everybody that’s come in has given us good reviews.”
