‘What do I like to eat?’

“As a kid or as an adolescent, or even as an adult, you think about the things you want to do in the future or the things that you want to achieve and I was beginning to realize that I don’t have to just think about these things anymore, and that now should be a time where I try to seize the opportunity,” said Tse.

Besides his longtime interest in the food and beverage industry, the transition from corporate life to restaurant owner was fueled by the birth of his daughter. Having a new family inspired Tse to finally pursue his passion. While his daughter is only 3 years old, he wanted to lay the foundation for an example, showing her future-self all the hard work that it takes to chase your dream, whether you succeed or not.

Opened in March of this year, Tse had to build the gray-shell space from the ground up. Taking a year from concept to opening, the idea for Wildflour evolved and changed along with the space; but the foundation was always Tse’s love for beers and charcuterie boards; “I was just thinking about, ‘What do I like to make? What do I like to eat?’”

Wildflour offers a variety of drink and food options: coffee, pastries, sandwiches, craft beer on tap, wine, cookies, and more.

But their specialty is charcuterie boards.

A fan himself, Tse knew that any restaurant he owned would have to serve specially curated boards of meat and cheese. In his vision, their menu currently offers five different boards, including a vegetarian hummus option.

Its bread, sandwich spreads, pickling and dips, are made in-house with care and quality; and for everything else, like cured meats, produce and beer, they try to support local businesses as much as possible with ingredient sourcing.

While Wildflour has staples, Tse doesn’t want the menu to stay stagnant.

“One thing that I really emphasize when hiring people is… come up with ideas, constantly be R&D-ing and seeing what you can come up with,” he said.

The ever-evolving menu is fueled by a feedback loop. Always attentive to the needs of their customers, Wildflour takes recommendations seriously and tries to put out what people want. The cycle of changing based on customer input keeps the business fresh, Tse said.

“I’m always pushing the kitchen staff to come up with new ideas,” Tse said.

This has led to a rotating cast of sandwiches, boards and breakfast items as seasonal tastes come into fashion and the kitchen tries new recipes.

Offering catering and private space rentals, Tse has also seen the restaurant evolve and expand its business. In a volatile industry, where each day presents a new challenge and restaurateurs have to change on a dime, Wildflour has managed to steadily find its feet.

“Ever since we opened, each month has been a little bit better than the last; so I’d say that’s a good trajectory for a new restaurant. As long as we do a little bit better each day, each month, that’s all I can ask for,” said Tse.

While tucked away at the intersection of South San Francisco’s Grand Avenue and Airport Boulevard, Wildflour has still drawn a solid crowd from Caltrain commuters, biotech workers, local residents and travelers from SFO.

Sporting a TV for the local team, and an open kitchen where patrons can watch the chefs putting together boards, working on dough or pulling out a fresh batch of pastries, Tse prides his restaurant on its customer service and atmosphere.

With such a dedication to patrons, Wildflour has garnered its own community of loyal customers. That is something Tse thoroughly enjoys.

“There’s a certain level of comfort for me in knowing that they enjoy what we put out there,” said Tse.

With the holiday season on the way, Wildflour is also taking Thanksgiving preorders, which can be placed on the website or by calling in to the shop. Wildflour is located at 200 Airport Blvd. and hours can be found at its website: wildflour-ssf.com.