Post #764337 by Limbo Lizard on Sat, May 28, 2016 1:23 PM

(Since the Chef Shangri-La website has been taken down, no doubt for editing, I thought I'd post the copy from the 'About Us' page, while it is still available in Google's webcache):

**About Us
35 YEARS AND STILL “TIKI-ING”!!!

History of Master Chef Paul Fong**
His story dates back to 1934, when small villages in China were under attack. A young couple found the 2-year old boy mourning beside his family who were killed. He was abandoned on a hillside road, where the young couple welcomed him as their own and ran for safety. They referred the little boy as Som Min Jie (which means baby boy in Cantonese.)
In 1945, Som Min Jie and Fong Sowng arrived in Chicago in hopes of living the American dream. His father worked as the Head Chef at a Chinese restaurant, while Som Min Jie did everything he could to adapt to the American culture. Neighborhood schools did not accept him, so he took the alternative route, through self-discipline and self-teaching.
Som Min Jie now known as Paul J. Fong, lost his father a couple of years later. Paul was left to fend for himself, while responsible to send money back to his mother in China. He worked multiple jobs as a busboy, a dishwasher, a waiter, a bartender and finally worked his way up as a chef.

Suzie “The Fierce Hawaiian Tiger” Fong also has a very interesting history. Over 100 years ago, Suzie’s grandfather and a group of college students flew to Hawaii to study. Her grandfather met a native Hawaiian, married her and brought her back to China to raise their family. Hence, the Polynesian ambience of Chef Shangri-la.
Suzie arrived in the US in 1958, she too has always been involved with the restaurant business. As an immigrant and a young Asian woman, she knew how hard it was going to be to survive in America. She had a family to support, in addition to sending money back to China to bring her parents and other siblings to America. In just 5 years, Suzie owned her first restaurant in Milwaukee, WI. Five years later Suzie and Paul met in Chicago, married in 1972 and operated their first restaurant in Chinatown, called Cantonese Chef.
Paul & Suzie were very successful in Chinatown, where Paul was featured in a number of Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times articles, he was rated as the top chef in Chinatown for many years. He was truly a “Master of Creations”. Paul & Suzie were determined to open up another restaurant, but had difficulty finding the right location. In 1975, Suzie was dealing with the loss of her mother and was emotionally drained; on one odd night, she had woken from a dream, where her mother’s spirit had guided her to this exact location, which has been the home of Chef Shangri-la ever since.

35 years later, Betty, the youngest of Paul & Suzie and her husband, Duane are now the 2nd generation owners. Betty & Duane will continue to operate the Fong tradition. They welcome you to a more enhanced tropical setting, featuring our 35 year original recipe on all signature dishes and cocktails. They will also be featuring a “SPECIAL MENU” that includes ASIAN FUSION DISHES like Thai curry, Spicy Korean chicken wings, Vietnamese Pho noodle soup, and much more.

For more information, please call (708) 442-7080, located at 7930 W. 26th Street, North Riverside, IL. Hope to see you soon!