All great cuisine starts with great ingredients so I wanted to cook by starting with the best ingredients. I wanted to do a market restaurant where you can see the real ingredients which can be great if they are seasonal, fresh and sourced sustainably. How did you come up with the idea of China Live? A rendering of the China Live market dining area. It was during this time that I really got to know her better, since I was quite young when we had originally met in Los Angeles. I began working for Cecilia around ‘79 or ’80, and worked with her for four or five years. We were actually old family friends as my parents knew her from her restaurant in L.A., The Mandarin in Beverly Hills. When I came up to Berkeley, the last thing I wanted to do was work in a restaurant, but I ended up working with Cecilia Chiang at The Mandarin to earn extra income. I worked in restaurants to put myself through school. So I went to school and thought that the restaurant business was kind of crazy. In fact, Lois Dwan, who was the Los Angeles Times food critic, even wrote a story about me when I left for school, and how I was one of the most knowledgeable and best waiters in L.A. No, I actually worked in a number of restaurants in L.A.-like 10 restaurants. What did you study at Berkeley? Did know that you were going to go into the food business?
I went to Berkeley for college and I fell in love with the beauty of the Bay Area, and decided to make it my home. We came here when I was 10 and I spent my formative years in L.A. I was born in Taiwan where my father was a career diplomat. I chatted with Chen via phone to talk about his beginnings in the food world, and what he hopes to share with the world through Chinese food and ingredients.Ĭan you tell me a little bit about your background? Chen will also serve as the Executive Chef of Eight Tables by George Chen, the fine-dining destination at China Live.ĬAAM honors George Chen this year at CAAMFeast 2016, alongside Cecilia Chiang and Brandon Jew. The team also includes seasoned professionals like Richard Miyashiro, Doug Collister, Spencer and Jeanne Wang, Janine Shiota, Russell Leong and Kathy Tierney. Today, he’s working on his most ambitious project yet: China Live, a 30,000 square foot marketplace and restaurant complex located on Broadway adjacent to the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown.Īt China Live, Chen has assembled a great team including his wife, who is a co-founder of China Live. His wine company, Roosevelt Private Cellars, recently won Best Importer – American Wines for 2016 from the prestigious Battane+Desseuave guide. Chen currently owns and operates the Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse in Shanghai with his wife, Cynthia (Cindy) Wong-Chen. and China, including another acclaimed San Francisco venue, Shanghai 1930, which operated for 13 years until its closure in 2010. Following the success of Betelnut, Chen opened another dozen-plus restaurants in the U.S. Though he comes from an esteemed lineage-his grandfather was a provincial governor of Hubei province and General in China under Kuo Ming Tang (KMT) rule and his father served in the diplomatic corps in Taiwan-Chen seems to have maintained his humility throughout the years.Ĭhen sold Betelnut to his business partners over a decade ago when he decided Shanghai, China offered greater opportunities for him. Following these years of travel, he decided to follow his culinary passion and opened Betelnut in 1995 in San Francisco, which went on to garner numerous awards and acclaim. His securities industry job required extensive travel to all parts of Asia, where he discovered local flavors that were not seen back in the States. He earned degrees in Neurobiology and Psychology at UC Berkeley, but went to work for Wall Street.
area restaurants and was even acknowledged by local press for his knowledge of Chinese cuisine.ĭespite his natural talents, Chen didn’t think he’d end up working in the food business full time as he saw the challenges of the industry first-hand during his formative years. George Chen, like many immigrants who come to the U.S., worked in the restaurant business as a way to help with expenses. Ordered three Chinese staple dishes.CAAM honors George Chen this year at CAAMFeast 2016, alongside Cecilia Chiang and Brandon Jew I did not believe it so I had to go check it out for myself. Heard through the grapevine that this place offers the best made to order Chinese food in the area. This place,recommended by one of my favorite mukbangers,'Eat with Chunky.she showed her food,and it looked really good,as she ate, I thought to myself,''I wonder where she got that?!when she. I ordered a lunch special kung pao fish fillet, hoping to get a cup of hot and sour soup but the daily soup was cream of corn.
Since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to give Chef Chen a try. Ordered: chicken lo mein, orange chicken, veggies and others.
If I had to sum up my experience with the food here: nothing special.