From Our Kitchen Table to Grace’s Goose

I was working at the Hershey factory and wanted to build a better future for my family. While working toward that goal, we started making wontons by hand around our kitchen table on weekends—often spending 10 hours a day making them together.

As more and more people discovered our wontons, making them by hand was no longer enough. We needed a way to automate the process without losing what made our wontons special. What followed was seven years of trial and error as I worked to invent a machine that could replace the hand-making process.

Developing the machine took much longer and cost far more than I ever expected. Through all those years of uncertainty, my wife Grace never complained. Even when things were difficult financially and neither of us knew whether my idea would ultimately work, she encouraged me to keep going.

I wanted the machine to carry Grace’s name as a way of thanking her for believing in me when there were no guarantees. I called it “Grace’s Goose” — our own goose that laid the golden egg. It became more than a machine. To me, it represents Grace’s support, our family’s perseverance, and the belief that an idea is worth fighting for.

Grace’s Goose — the machine that helped turn a family idea into millions of wontons.

From Dragon’s Den to Millions of Wontons

Our journey eventually took us to CBC’s Dragon’s Den, where we pitched our wonton business to the Dragons. We received offers from all of the Dragons and ultimately made a deal with Jim Treliving. The experience introduced our wontons to Canadians across the country and became an important chapter in our story.

Our family pitching our wonton business on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.

Over 20 Million Wontons and Counting

What began with our family making wontons by hand around the kitchen table grew into something we never imagined. Over the years, more than 20 million of our wontons were sold in Ontario.

Now, we’re bringing that experience, those recipes, and the story of Grace’s Goose to Nova Scotia with The Wonton Factory. It’s a new chapter for us, but it’s built on decades of experience, millions of wontons, and the same commitment to making something people truly enjoy.