Los Angeles’ Cantonese dining scene gets a boost from new generation of chefs: ‘It’s a huge risk to do this kind of food’
- Cantonese restaurants in Los Angeles face preconceptions about the food they serve, not least that it is cheap, and competition from other Chinese cuisines
- Johnny Lee from Pearl River Deli; Ryan Wong and Karen Dang of Needle; and Humberto Leon and his family at Monarch talk about elevating the cuisine
For decades, Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles have been haunted by preconceptions about the food they serve. And with the coronavirus pandemic bringing new challenges, many chefs have been forced to re-evaluate their vision for their restaurants.
Nonetheless, some restaurateurs – such as Pearl River Deli’s chef-owner Johnny Lee; chef Ryan Wong of Needle and his wife and business partner Karen Dang; and Monarch’s Humberto Leon and family – have remained steadfast in their efforts to share their love for Cantonese food and culture through highly personal culinary projects.
In recent decades, LA’s Chinese restaurant scene has changed to reflect the shifting demographics of its Chinese-American population.
Although the first Chinese immigrants to arrive in California in the 19th century were primarily from Guangdong province, subsequent waves have come from all across Greater China. As a result, restaurants offer varied cuisines, from Shanghainese to Sichuan and Taiwanese.
In 2019, a number of established Cantonese dim sum restaurants closed in quick succession, and it was looking like Cantonese cuisine in LA might have entered its sunset era.
“I thought a lot about the next generation of my family,” says Lee of Pearl River Deli. “A lot of my cousins don’t know how to cook Cantonese food. The wealth of knowledge hasn’t been passed on.
