
Courtesy of Penelope Wong

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Since launching as a food truck in 2019, Yuan Wonton has gained plenty of fans – thanks in large part to its signature item, the OG Chile Oil Wontons. Owner Penelope Wong, who moved her concept into a brick-and-mortar at 2878 Fairfax Street in Park Hill last year, is used to making a lot of chile oil for that dish. but lately, production has really ramped up.
At the start of this month, locally based chain Birdcall launched the latest in its series of chef collaborations, the SzechYUAN Chicken Sammy, and it’s been a hit. “Amador Acosta, their director of culinary innovation, reached out last year,” Wong says. “It was an absolute honor that Amador had reached out to do this with me. He is an uber-talented chef who’s worked around the world and has trained under Michelin-starred chefs and at various Michelin-starred restaurants, so working with him alongside this project to develop the final rendition was an amazing experience.”
The sandwich, which is available through February 6, includes crispy chicken topped with honey ginger coleslaw, charred scallion kewpie mayo and Yuan Wonton’s Szechuan chile oil. “I just made another giant 28-quart batch. …We’re at just shy of 100 quarts total so far. I’m making these giant batches on a weekly basis – it’s like pepper-spraying the entire restaurant,” Wong jokes.
For this special, Wong is making a highly concentrated version of the chile oil that she uses at her restaurant so that it can be more easily shipped to Birdcall’s locations in Colorado, Arizona and Texas. After it arrives, it is diluted by Birdcall staff members.

Amador Acosta (left), Birdcall’s director of culinary innovation, with Yuan Wonton owner Penelope Wong.
Courtesy of Penelope Wong
So far, the SzechYUAN Chicken Sammy has been a record-breaking sandwich for the chain, with over 6,000 sold – more than double what Wong was expecting based on past Birdcall collaborations. It’s even been a hit out of state, where Yuan Wonton doesn’t have the same kind of name recognition it does locally.
The best part, though, is that $1 from every sandwich sold is being donated to the charity of Wong’s choice: José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen, which rallies chefs to help feed people after natural disasters and other crises around the world – including in Colorado, following the Marshall Fire that struck on December 30, 2021. “I’ve always been a fan of José Andrés and what he’s doing,” Wong notes. “When there’s tragedy, everyone feels helpless and wants to do something. As chefs, all we know is to feed people.”
World Central Kitchen contacted Wong and other local chefs to form a Denver team that will be in place “in the event of anything happening where they needed our services,” Wong explains. “When they reached out, it was a huge honor.”
Yuan Wonton has been closed since January 1, so that Wong and her team could take time to deep-clean, reorganize the space and perfect new menu items. Those will debut at the restaurant’s first service of 2024 on January 17.
But even as that work was going on, Wong was making a big impact. “It’s been amazing seeing the response and knowing it’s going toward this amazing cause,” she concludes. “It’s a great way to start the new year.”