in Los Angeles. Initially it started out as a family-oriented restaurant, an outlet for Chen Fong’s culinary dream. But now with the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence, Woon has grown to become a more community-focused restaurant, raising funds for AAPI-focused organizations and inviting others in through their favorite Chinese dishes. Here the two look back on the challenges and joys of the last two years and how Woon has adapted along the way.
When it was time for me to go to college, I told my mom I wanted to go to culinary school. But to my parents, coming from Asia, “chef” didn’t exist—it was “cook” and considered lower class. “Why do you want to be a cook?” they asked. I said “No, a chef and a cook, there’s a difference. I want to learn the basic mechanics and knife skills.” No, no way. After I graduated, I got a job doing administrative work at the culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu. There, I was able to take free cooking classes.
It wasn’t easy at first, stepping into this chef role. Professional cooking is so different from home cooking. Everything is on a larger scale. It requires more precision, measuring rather than going by smell or taste. But seeing others eat my food is a huge joy and very surreal and not what I had ever expected. I was skeptical at first, wondering, What if they don’t like my food? Now I’m more confident.
Then COVID hit. My mom’s last day in the kitchen was March 13, 2020, and three days later we canceled our one-year anniversary party. We closed the dining room for takeout only, and we cut hours by 60 percent—which we’re still operating at. We had an outpouring of community support and a PPP loan to thank for keeping us afloat in those early days of lockdown.In quarantine, I would check on the food from my phone or have it delivered so I could taste test—that’s my territory.
My parents grew up in China, so my upbringing was different. I never got hugs. My mom would nitpick everything about me, from my hair to my etiquette. So many rules and regulations, like never pick up your chopsticks before your guests eat, things like that. When it came time to raise my own kids, I didn’t want to do what my parents did. I said to myself, I will let them grow up as they are, but I will guide them along the way. They had more freedom than I had.
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