Immigrant Influence

A vintage postcard of Cecilia Chiang inside her celebrated Mandarin restaurant. (Credit: Mike Roberts Color Reproductions, via National Museum of American History/The Smithsonian Institution) On any given night in 1960s San Francisco, you could walk into the upscale dining room of The Mandarin restaurant, and hear the sizzle of pan-fried pot stickers, and smell signature dishes like beggar's chicken or peppery Sichuan eggplant, all of which most Americans hadn't seen before. And in the center of it all, holding court – often amid celebrity guests – would be the owner, Cecilia Chiang. "My grandmother was a quintessential front-of-house host," says Siena Chiang. "They called her Madame Chiang, and she reveled in having the perfect outfit and creating a warm environment and welcoming people of all stripes." But behind the perfect hostess greeting, Madame Chiang had a backstory worthy of a Hollywood movie. Born to a wealthy family near Shanghai, she and her sister escaped the Japanese invasion on foot, eventually immigrating to the U.S. during the Communist Revolution. She opened The Mandarin, introducing diners to Chinese food beyond the stereotypical dishes of chop suey, egg foo young and chow mein. The episode also features Paul Freedman, author of "Ten Restaurants That Changed America" – one of which was The Mandarin. Check out the entire Seasoned project, with more episodes rolling out in the weeks and months ahead. More From This Series Seasoned, Episode 1 - MFK FisherOur 6-episode podcast kicks off with the California writer who invented the food memoir. Long before Anthony Bourdain, there was a woman who taught us how to enjoy food, drink and life. Seasoned, Episode 3 - Lena RichardDown in the Big Easy, a Creole chef experiments with bold flavors and becomes a forebearer of today's multihyphenate food personality, even as her life is cut short.

Immigrant Influence

Seasoned: Women Culinary Pioneers – Cecilia Chiang

The Story Exchange

Immigrant Influence

Seasoned: Women Culinary Pioneers – Cecilia Chiang

The Story Exchange

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