Frequent food safety issues prompt tech entrepreneur to open a restaurant for family and staff

▲ One of the private kitchen dishes: butter crab claw meat with brioche.

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

In recent years, food safety concerns have been on the rise. While many have become more vigilant about what they eat, one tech industry boss took it a step further by purchasing the restaurant next to his factory. Not only did he hire a chef who previously worked at the casual dining spot "Birdie’s Local," but he also emphasized that over 95% of the ingredients used in the restaurant are self-produced or homemade—even the bread. If something can’t be made in-house, the sourcing must be traceable back to the origin.

Located in the Sanchong Industrial Park, the Mellow Land fusion restaurant has been in operation for some time. Chen Guangwei, who runs a server manufacturing tech company, took over the restaurant in 2015. He said that in recent years, Taiwan has seen ongoing food safety issues, making people wary of what they eat. Additionally, his father was diagnosed with kidney disease, which led Chen to notice how prevalent kidney problems are among Taiwanese. He believes this may be caused by food-related issues. That’s why, in 2015, he took over Mellow Land, located right next to his factory. As for profitability, he said that servers alone can cost over a million Taiwanese dollars each, so making no money is the worst-case scenario—but health is priceless.


▲ One of the private kitchen dishes: apple-stuffed duck liver. Due to ongoing ethical concerns surrounding duck liver, Chen Guangwei said he will stop using it after the current batch is gone.


▲ One of the private kitchen dishes: clam chowder.


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In pursuit of natural, chemical-free food, Chen Guangwei assembled a new team of chefs, including one who previously worked at "Birdie’s Local." The restaurant aims to make as many ingredients as possible in-house—such as pasta and bread—all prepared by the chefs themselves. If something can’t be made in-house, the source must be verified to ensure it’s safe before use. Chen Guangwei said this approach ensures delicious and safe meals. Initially, Mellow Land served not only the general public but also as the staff canteen for Chen’s tech company. However, with too many employees sometimes affecting customer dining, he later added a separate staff canteen on the third floor, still run by the Mellow Land kitchen team.


▲ One of the private kitchen dishes: Borgia-style yellow bacon braised sea cucumber.


▲ One of the private kitchen dessert dishes.

Mellow Land offers a variety of dishes such as pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and grilled steak, priced between NT$300 and NT$1,300. In addition to the regular menu, the restaurant also provides a private kitchen service where customers can request customized meals by informing the head chef of their preferences, budget, and the number of guests.

Mellow Land Fusion Restaurant
Address: No. 108, Section 2, Guangfu Road, Sanchong District, New Taipei City
Phone: 02-2995-0116