HATTIE: Mr. and Mrs. Lee fled communist China to Brazil in the late 40's where the boys were born. Then the family immigrated to Southern California in 1975 where they opened a Chinese restaurant on Balboa Island. Years later the parents were ready to retire.

WING: They were getting out of the restaurant business and they asked us if we wanted to take it over. And we were like, we had no desire to put on the white shirt, black pants and the bow tie. So I said, "Hey, maybe we can just take a little bit of money and you guys can lease out your restaurant to the people that are working for you now, they're interested in taking it over anyway and keeping it going (and it is still going today), and we wanted to start something different. And they all thought we were a little bit off. But, I know we wouldn't have the respect from the people that would be working for us because they would look at us as kids.

ED: Wahoo's came along as pretty much our last shot. Mom and Dad said, "If you guys can't do it, it's time to move on and get a real job, get paychecks and come back and pay us back."

STEVE: A few years later... the beautiful surprise came along. We'll take you in and be a part of the family. By then we had spent most of the holidays together, it was like the family... I was adopted by Mr. Lee pretty much.

HATTIE: So are you happy to see your sons so successful?

Mr. Lee: (answers in Chinese)

ED: (translating from Chinese) He is just happiest that we've been able to follow (our dreams)... and it's more of the hard work ethic that he taught and he's seeing the fruits that we "talk the talk and we can also do the walk." (laughter)

WING: I think the fact that we truly believe in what we do... and in other words... when you love something you're not selling it... because people get it.

HATTIE: Did they pay you you're thirty thousand dollars back?

ED: (Chinese translation of question)

PARENTS: yeah, yeah, yeah... (laughter)

ED: of course!

HATTIE: Wing was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young and this publication says he is one of the eight chefs who, in the last decade, has changed the way we all eat.

HATTIE: Why are new Americans often so successful?

STEVE: I think it is the work ethic and the knowledge that this place lets you do what you wish.

HATTIE: We are forever championing the small and privately-held companies and Wahoo's is a great slice of restaurant life. While the restaurant industry is the nation's largest private-sector employer, providing 11.3 million jobs, most restaurants, 7 out of 10, employ fewer than 20 people. Small and privately held businesses dominate this industry. While many fail in the restaurant business, Wahoo's succeeds by creating an experience for their own tribe. Usually what appears to be chaos can not be duplicated but these guys are doing it.

We'll see you next time.