The Holy Crab

Indonesian native Albert Wijaya became obsessed with Louisiana-style boiled seafood while living in Los Angeles for four years. “I was studying for my culinary sciences degree, and I soon realized that L.A. was a mecca for Southern cuisine," he recalls. "I just fell in love with the seafood that waiters would just dump on the table. When I returned to Indonesia, I really missed that experience.” It wasn’t long before Albert began creating his own Southern-inspired recipes and testing them on his family and friends.“I began experimenting with different sauces and batters, blending Creole and Cajun cooking styles,” he adds.

In February 2013, he opened his first The Holy Crab restaurant in his hometown of Jakarta and it was an instant hit among locals and tourists in the region. Three more locations in Indonesia soon followed before Albert set his sights on North America. “Vancouver is renowned for its fresh seafood and since my cousin Henri William was living here, opening a restaurant in Vancouver made sense,” he explains. “Albert and I had talked about one day opening a restaurant together, so it was only a matter of time.” explains Henri. who serves as general manager for The Holy Crab's first Canadian location.