father in his late teens in hopes of a better work opportunity. Unfortunately, the
only work he could find was in a factory.
One day, after many long hours of work, Sze dozed off and injured his finger
on a piece of machinery. Although it turned out not to be a serious injury, it was
enough to cause his father to insist Sze find work elsewhere.
On June 22, 1976, he arrived in America. Even though he could only speak
Mandarin and Cantonese at the time, he had an uncle in Washington, D.C., who was
in the restaurant business. Sze was able to get a job there as a bus boy. He quickly
worked his way up and proved himself proficient as a cook.
Unlike other types of food, Chinese food is quite diverse. There are actually
eight major types of cuisine in China, which makes work as a chef in a Chinese
restaurant challenging. “China is such a big country, and there are so many different
provinces. They have Cantonese style, Fujian style, Sichuan style,” and others,
explained Sandy.
34 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
ABOVE Sze and Sandy Chan
raised three children while
operating their restaurants. It
was their oldest daughter Pei
Pei's idea to start a hibachistyle
Japanese restaurant
after realizing people were
moving toward healthier
choices like grilled fish,
meats and vegetables.