((PKG)) CHIFA RESTAURANT
((TRT: 02:52))
((Topic Banner: Chifa Restaurant))
((Reporter/Camera/Producer/Editor: Elizabeth Lee))
((Map: Los Angeles, California))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
I've always had this passion for wanting to be doing something creative whether it was in food or entertainment or film.
I've been in the investment management business, the finance side of things, for almost 30 years.
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
I got this idea of going into, you know, restaurant cooking. I realized at some point it was time to do it. Part of the reason was, you know, my father passed away 10 years ago. And then reflecting on that and say, “Oh, well.” You know, when he passed away, I really was only like, I'm only like 20 years away from that. This was my chance to do it. It was kind of part of my evolution in reinventing myself.
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
Chifa is through a combination of Peruvian and Chinese dishes. And the Chinese dishes again is from both sides of my family and my wife's family. And then the Peruvian part is when my wife's family moved from Hong Kong to Peru, they picked up Peruvian recipes.
((NATS))
((Wendy Leon
Co-Founder, Chifa))
After 45 years, we opened again.
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
So in the early 70s, my mother-in-law also had a restaurant called Chifa.
((Wendy Leon
Co-Founder, Chifa))
I had a very good business in Peru.
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
When they immigrated here, they gave up everything but I think they’ve always wanted to find a way to come back and re-launch it.
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
For her, it's been a journey. She's here every day to bring things, take a look at things and during service days, she's definitely here to, you know, meet customers.
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
We definitely went into this not knowing that a pandemic was going to hit. The quarantine hit just after we got the permit to start construction. We were caught in the middle of it and I think the only way we could go is to move forward. I mean I had retired from my previous job. I mean this is my livelihood. We had to continue the best we could.
This is really a family business. My daughter works right alongside me on the cook line. Our youngest son does the expediting. The guys who work in the cook line, they all went to high school together.
((NATS))
((Wendy Leon
Co-Founder, Chifa))
They work so hard but I'm so proud of them.
((NATS))
((John Liu
Co-Founder, Chifa))
Because it was tight-knit and people that we know and I think that was one way that we've kept ourselves somewhat insulated. I can imagine in the pre-pandemic world, it was always rush, rush, rush, rush, rush, deadline, deadline, deadline. And sometimes it's not always the best thing to rush everything. For me I think patience is a virtue and there's always a silver lining to, you know, challenges that come up.
((NATS))