Joyce Chen
Encyclopedia
Joyce Chen was a Chinese
chef
, restaurateur
, and entrepreneur
. Born in Beijing
, China
, Chen and husband Thomas left Shanghai
in 1949 as the communists
were taking over the country. Chen ultimately settled in Cambridge
, Massachusetts
.
Chen opened her first restaurant, "Joyce Chen Restaurant", in 1958. The first restaurant was located at Central Square on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, it was halfway between Harvard and MIT. It was a tiny take out place and in no time people lined up to get Chinese food of a kind that few Americans had ever tasted. A few years later she opened the next restaurant in north Cambridge. This was a larger, sit down place. That place did so well that a third place was opened very close to MIT. This was a larger and fancier place than the first two places. When Joyce came to America she knew no English. I took her first cooking class and at that time she was still struggling with English but she wasn't stopped by that. As we came to know each other she told me that her marriage was an arranged marriage and was not a happy one. She said her husband was unfaithful. She was a very kind, good person. Every year she would buy toys for all her employees children. Once I ran into her when she was doing the Christmas shopping and she motioned me to come to her and when I did she grinned and said, "I did it". I asked her what she "did" and she said "I got rid of him and the restaurants are all mine because my name was on them all". So- this woman who was brought to America with no English and, seemingly, no skills had managed to become the owner of 3 successful restaurants, the author of a cookbook, a TV show and more. She had come from a well-to-do family with servants so she had no housekeeping skills. As a child she enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen and watching food being prepared. She put together her memories and taught herself to cook in the way that she had observed. A remarkable and determined woman and a joy to know. She got to make a triumphant return to China when Time-Life hired her to take photographers and reporters on a tour of China. In 1960, she began teaching Chinese cooking at the Cambridge and Boston Adult Education Centers, introducing many Americans to homestyle and gourmet Chinese cooking techniques
. In 1962, she published her influential cookbook
, The Joyce Chen Cookbook. Unlike contemporary cookbooks, just about every recipe calls for MSG
to be added.
In 1968, she starred in her own cooking show on PBS called Joyce Chen Cooks. The show was filmed on the same set as The French Chef
with Julia Child in Boston. Chen later introduced a line of Chinese cooking utensils. Chen is credited with popularizing the Mandarin
style of Chinese cooking in the United States
.
Chen wanted to make Chinese food accessible to the American public. Since her first restaurant was in an Italian
area, she renamed potstickers, or pork-filled Chinese dumpling
s, to "Peking ravioli" on her menus. Chinese restaurants and diners in the greater Boston
, Massachusetts
, area still call the dumplings "Peking ravioli" or simply "ravs."
Members of Bolt, Beranek and Newman's IMP
team, when they were working on the first IMPs to create the ARPANET
in 1969, would eat Chen's food as her Cambridge restaurant was next door to BBN. Chen opened another restaurant also very popular with hackers, Small Eating Place, on the edge of the MIT campus.
Chen died of Alzheimer's disease
in 1994. Her namesake restaurant closed in 1998. Son Henry (d. 2007) owned Joyce Chen Unlimited, a retail store in Acton
, Massachusetts, which closed in March 2008. Her son Stephen Chen is president of Joyce Chen Foods, Inc. Daughter Helen Chen markets a line of Asian kitchen products for Harold Import Company.
Many Joyce Chen disciples still own and run Boston area Chinese restaurants. Among them is Pui Chan from The Wok in Wellesley, MA. Chan worked for Chen starting in 1976 at the Alewife location. Chan opened his own restaurant with Chen's encouragement in 1978.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
, and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. Born in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Chen and husband Thomas left Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in 1949 as the communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
were taking over the country. Chen ultimately settled in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Chen opened her first restaurant, "Joyce Chen Restaurant", in 1958. The first restaurant was located at Central Square on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, it was halfway between Harvard and MIT. It was a tiny take out place and in no time people lined up to get Chinese food of a kind that few Americans had ever tasted. A few years later she opened the next restaurant in north Cambridge. This was a larger, sit down place. That place did so well that a third place was opened very close to MIT. This was a larger and fancier place than the first two places. When Joyce came to America she knew no English. I took her first cooking class and at that time she was still struggling with English but she wasn't stopped by that. As we came to know each other she told me that her marriage was an arranged marriage and was not a happy one. She said her husband was unfaithful. She was a very kind, good person. Every year she would buy toys for all her employees children. Once I ran into her when she was doing the Christmas shopping and she motioned me to come to her and when I did she grinned and said, "I did it". I asked her what she "did" and she said "I got rid of him and the restaurants are all mine because my name was on them all". So- this woman who was brought to America with no English and, seemingly, no skills had managed to become the owner of 3 successful restaurants, the author of a cookbook, a TV show and more. She had come from a well-to-do family with servants so she had no housekeeping skills. As a child she enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen and watching food being prepared. She put together her memories and taught herself to cook in the way that she had observed. A remarkable and determined woman and a joy to know. She got to make a triumphant return to China when Time-Life hired her to take photographers and reporters on a tour of China. In 1960, she began teaching Chinese cooking at the Cambridge and Boston Adult Education Centers, introducing many Americans to homestyle and gourmet Chinese cooking techniques
Chinese cooking techniques
Chinese cooking techniques are a set of methods and techniques traditionally used in Chinese cuisine. The cooking techniques can either be grouped into ones that use a single cooking method or a combination of wet and dry cooking methods.-Wet:...
. In 1962, she published her influential cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
, The Joyce Chen Cookbook. Unlike contemporary cookbooks, just about every recipe calls for MSG
MSG
MSG or msg may refer to:* Monosodium glutamate, a common food additive** See also glutamic acid for MSG's use in food flavoring and health concerns* A common abbreviation for message* Madison Square Garden, a sports arena in New York City...
to be added.
In 1968, she starred in her own cooking show on PBS called Joyce Chen Cooks. The show was filmed on the same set as The French Chef
The French Chef
The French Chef is an influential television cooking show created by Julia Child, and produced and broadcast by WGBH Public television in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 11, 1963 to 1973. It was one of the first cooking shows on television...
with Julia Child in Boston. Chen later introduced a line of Chinese cooking utensils. Chen is credited with popularizing the Mandarin
Beijing cuisine
Beijing cuisine is a cooking style in Beijing, China. It is also known as Mandarin cuisine.-Background:Since Beijing has been the Chinese capital city for centuries, its cuisine has been influenced by culinary traditions from all over China, but the cuisine that has exerted the greatest influence...
style of Chinese cooking in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Chen wanted to make Chinese food accessible to the American public. Since her first restaurant was in an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
area, she renamed potstickers, or pork-filled Chinese dumpling
Dumpling
Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may...
s, to "Peking ravioli" on her menus. Chinese restaurants and diners in the greater Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, area still call the dumplings "Peking ravioli" or simply "ravs."
Members of Bolt, Beranek and Newman's IMP
Interface Message Processor
The Interface Message Processor was the packet-switching node used to interconnect participant networks to the ARPANET from the late 1960s to 1989. It was the first generation of gateways, which are known today as routers. An IMP was a ruggedized Honeywell DDP-516 minicomputer with...
team, when they were working on the first IMPs to create the ARPANET
ARPANET
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network , was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet...
in 1969, would eat Chen's food as her Cambridge restaurant was next door to BBN. Chen opened another restaurant also very popular with hackers, Small Eating Place, on the edge of the MIT campus.
Chen died of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
in 1994. Her namesake restaurant closed in 1998. Son Henry (d. 2007) owned Joyce Chen Unlimited, a retail store in Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts, which closed in March 2008. Her son Stephen Chen is president of Joyce Chen Foods, Inc. Daughter Helen Chen markets a line of Asian kitchen products for Harold Import Company.
Many Joyce Chen disciples still own and run Boston area Chinese restaurants. Among them is Pui Chan from The Wok in Wellesley, MA. Chan worked for Chen starting in 1976 at the Alewife location. Chan opened his own restaurant with Chen's encouragement in 1978.