Post #732997 by 20th Century Man on Thu, Dec 11, 2014 9:41 PM

Here is an amazing Trade Winds Restaurant discovery I have to share with my fellow tiki archaeologists.

I was able to locate the gentleman who was the head Asian food chef at the Trade Winds Restaurant in Oxnard from 1968-1972. His name is Mr. See W. Lee, and he and his family still live in Oxnard. Remarkably, he had a small collection of items from the Trade Winds which he recently allowed me to purchase. The items depicted in the photos include:

• Two massive 9’ 9” long carved vertical wood beams which he said came from the large banquet room. One beam is carved with four fish and the other depicts a monkey
  reaching to pick a coconut. These are thick and heavy beams and have been stored outdoors, face down, up on blocks on the paved side yard of his home for the past 30 years.
  They are in reasonably nice condition considering they were stored outdoors. It would be interesting to determine if these would have been carved by Richard Ellis who carved
  all the tikis for the Trade Winds restaurant.

Does anyone know of any interior decor pieces Richard Ellis might have worked on? I recall reading somewhere here on Tiki Central that there may have been an Oceanic Arts connection. Maybe Bob and Leroy collaborated with him on these?

Carving details...

• Local newspaper clipping from 1968 with a photo of some of the restaurant staff, including Mr. Lee. He is pictured second from the right,
  though incorrectly identified in the newspaper as "Mar". Included is also an 8" x 10” b/w photo of Mr. Lee in the Trade Winds kitchen, taken the same year.

• Trade Winds embroidered staff uniform patch with back clasp pins. Over 3” diameter. Worn by Mr. Lee while employed at Trade Winds. Amazing!!

With his son, Dan, acting as translator, we had a nice conversation about his Trade Winds recollections. After Mr. Lee left the Trade Winds in 1972, he
opened his own Chinese food restaurant in Oxnard, the Fortune Inn, and ran it for over 33 years before retiring. During that period, Trade Winds developer
Martin V. “Bud” Smith would occasionally come in to dine. One day, during a visit, Martin Smith said that since the Trade Winds had been sold
to an investment group and the new owners wanted to tear the place down, Mr. Lee was welcome to come by the Trade Winds building and take whatever
items he wanted before demolition began. So, Mr. Lee went back, but found there wasn’t much left except the two large wood beams you see in the photos.
Remarkably, he kept these items all these years. Even his son didn't know what the wood carvings looked like!

And of course, I couldn't end this most-excellent adventure without getting a photo with Mr. Lee himself!

My plans are to thoroughly dry out the wood beams (after the recent rains), clean (gentle media blasting), lightly stain, and seal the beams to restore them to their former glory. Each of the items are unique finds, but combined with learning of Mr. Lee’s connection to the restaurant, and his long history in the local Oxnard community, it made for a MOST rewarding day!