The Matriarch of Chinese Food
Ever order Kung Pao Chicken… or Moo Shoo Pork from the Chinese place up the street. You can thank Cecelia Chang. Her family fled China during World War II… and in1961 … she opened a restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco… It offered never-before tasted dishes… that her well-to-do family used to enjoy back in Beijing. This wasn’t chop suey and chow mein. This was Chinese flavors and tastes that took the cuisine to the next level. Potstickers .. that’s her. The restaurant languished… until it was discovered by a newspaper food critic… and suddenly she had lines outside the door. Cecilia Chang expanded to Beverly Hills… and versions of her Chinese dishes popped up in every city and town in America. She offered cooking classes… at the restaurant… and her students included Julia Child. And into her 90’s… she continued to mentor the next generation of Chinese chefs. Last week… Cecelia Chang died at the age of 100. And even if you don’t like the food she brought to America… you’ll see a monument to her in downtown Salt Lake. Her son followed in her footsteps… and he is the Chang… in PF Changs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.