Museum of Chinese in America

Chris Cheung is a Chinese-American chef who owns the restaurant, East Wind Snack Shop. He was raised in Chinatown and Bensonhurst, exposing him to both Chinese and Italian food at a young age. He grew up in 1970s and 1980s New York and recalls generational differences in Chinese restaurants. The teahouses that he enjoyed as a child have transformed. As Cheung grew older, he worked at several Asian restaurants. He began to work with high profile names in the culinary world; he learned technical skills. When Cheung took a trip to a rural village off the coast of Shanghai, he experienced cooking daily banquets. Afterwards, he studied with a Hong Kong dim sum master, who helped him perfect his craft. As Cheung ancestry is from Toisan, China, he was inspired to recreate a Toisan teahouse. East Wind Snack Shop specializes in dumplings, baos, and dim sum. Cheung wanted to revive the community aspect the teahouses brought; these teahouses were replaced by bakeries. Cheung explains the way Asian cuisine has no weight in the culinary world. He hopes that his legacy will pave a way for Chinese cuisine to enter the mainstream and serve many.