San Francisco (CNS) -- Among the eleven Chinese style buildings in the most prosperous Chinese community of Hanford, California, four are owned by the international five-star restaurant, Imperial Dynasty, a business started by a Chinese American, but unfortunately ceased in 2006.
On the walls of the restaurant hang a giant colored portraits of an emperor, an empress and officials of the Qing Dynasty, plenty of merit certificates, credentials, aged photos, and reports on the restaurant and its founder Richard Wing.
Among the old photos is one of former Chief of Staff of the Army, former Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense, George Catlett Marshall, who left a great impact on Wing.
The owner and chef of the restaurant, Wing lived a legendary 89-year life span. He was one of the cooks and attendants of General Marshall, and made dishes for presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
His niece Arianne Wing told CNS that after graduating from the University of Southern California with sculpture and international relations degrees, Wing married Bai Ziwei, the Miss Hong Kong of 1964, who came to San Francisco to compete for Miss Universe.
Wing created the famed Wing Cuisine, which won the hearts of former California governor Ronald Reagan and many a financial talent.
Unfortunately, no one in his family was able to take over the business when he became physically incapable to continue. The business closed in April 2006 and Wing passed away in October 2010.
This left dozens of his fans in disappointment. They especially missed his secret French snail recipe and a huge storage of aged good wine in his cellar.
Wing's family has a 123-year tradition in the restaurant industry. Prior to 1881, Arianne's great-grandfather was a famous local boxing coach in Hua County, Guangdong Province. He joined a revolutionary army and was wanted by the Qing government.
He later fled to Hanford, where thousands of Cantonese gathered and made a living by building railways, digging gold mines, and planting fruits in local farmland. This was how the Chinese community gradually formed and developed to its peak, which was second only to the China Town in San Francisco.
In 1883, he and his cousin built a two-storey Chinese style building and opened their family restaurant. They sold a bowl of noodles for five cents. It may have differed from the original taste but was definitely the most delicious gourmet for the homesick.
"Since I was little, elders told me our restaurant had received Sun Yat-sen and assisted him in raising funds and organizing speeches," Arianne recalled. "In 1937, my grandparents closed the restaurant which was out of repair and opened another Cantonese restaurant."
Born in 1921, Richard Wing had been managing the family business with his siblings since he was six years old. In 1944, when he was in college, the war started and he was sent to work in the kitchen. "He was really somebody in the army at that time. Usually a streusel was cut into 66 pieces, but he could make 144," Arianne said proudly of her uncle.
Richard Wing was sent to the capital for special training and served the Marshall couple later. He was in the delegation to the mediation between the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Chongqing.
Familiar with the Marshalls' diet habits and allergies, he accompanied the family on their travels all over Europe and Asia, which gave him a lot of inspiration. Soong May-ling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, once taught him how to make chicken soup to cure the general's cold, Richard Wing told CBS.
The Imperial Dynasty is the third restaurant of the family, branded with high class Western cuisines and wines. Holding 300 seats, the restaurant only served dinner. Some wealthy patrons would even fly from New York for dinner at the Imperial Dynasty.
In 2006, when the two restaurants' legend of a 123-year record was put to an end, NPR made a special goodbye program.
Among Wing's offspring, many stepped into finance or law industries and created their own exploits.
Arianne studied cooking in college. Returning to her birth place, she has taken on the responsibility to revitalize her family's cause. "It is where I grew up. I can't leave it unattended. I will try my best to recover its past glory."
