Californian sunshine in Taichung

Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Naomi Lai

Name: Robert Winborn
Nationality: 美國 United States
Position:Owner, Kettle Corn Shack

Hailing from California, Robert came to Taiwan in 2007 with his pregnant wife, Coco, and brought along a special gift for Taichung--the wonderful world of American-style popcorn.

Life as passionate as sunshine
Robert's popcorn business started as a little weekend food stand at Feng Le Sculpture Park. His job was to create the colorful variety of popcorn--also known as "kettle corn" in America--while his wife dealt with marketing. To their surprise, this small start-up business was well-received by curious, friendly Taiwanese, resulting in a growth in sales.

"Taichung's sunshine is as bright as that in California!" remarked Robert happily.

The couple then moved their stand to a store on DaDun Road, opening a new chapter for Robert's kettle corn business in Taichung. Noticing Taiwanese people's growing interest in a healthier diet, Robert created handmade kettle corn that used imported U.S. corn with no artificial additives or trans fats. Besides standards flavors like caramel and chocolate, Robert's wife also introduced several Chinese flavors, such as the Purple Rose (green tea, mustard, taro) or Skippy Do (peanut). After years of business and interaction with customers in Taichung, they've grown from the original 28 flavors to almost 40 today.

"You need to be passionate about your work," said Robert of his business growth and success.

Living in a new world for love
Robert often visits the Wenxin Forest Park and the Feng Le Sculpture Park with his wife and son, Bobby, who loves the fish and turtles in the water there. As for local food, Robert is willing to try just about everything that his wife introduces him to, except for stinky tofu. On his own, his favorite hang-out is PJ's Cafe on DaYe Road, where he enjoys spending time with friends from around the world.

Like heated kernels of golden popcorn, Robert and Coco's love has grown to become a flavorful, colorful life in Taichung together.