“I love really good food and I don’t ever want to spend too much money for it, but I do like hanging out and having really good, tasty interesting food.” — Kris Allen
Do you enjoy Chinese cooking? My wife and I do. We have traveled extensively over the years and dined at countless Chinese restaurants from the dankest basement cafes of metropolitan cities to post restaurants in the Far East.
Among our favorite dishes is Hunan chicken. It’s the one item we always ask for whenever we order Chinese food.
If you’ve never eaten Hunan chicken, it’s the Chinese version of chicken nuggets: bite-size boneless chicken dipped in batter, deep fried, and coated with a special flavored sweet-and-sour glaze.
Every chef who specializes in Chinese cooking knows how to prepare it, but few do it up like Chef Dicky Cheung! So who is this Chef Dicky Cheung, you ask?
He happens to be the former co-owner/chef of Golden Willow Chinese Restaurant in Concord. If you’re from Concord, you probably ate at his restaurant at one time or another since it opened more than a quarter-century ago.
Regrettably, the restaurant closed for the last time two years ago when Dicky and his wife Vance retired, much to the disappointment of their many loyal customers. But the story doesn’t end there.
The good news is that Chef Dicky hasn’t hung up his apron just yet. Since his retirement, he has been volunteering his kitchen mastery “wok-ing” to help various nonprofit organizations raise money for worth causes.
And Vance, a successful self-taught restaurater, is always offering her services wherever they’re needed. I recently asked Vance what the couple hopes to gain for their altruistic efforts, and she answered without hesitating: it’s their way of showing gratitude to the country that welcomed them as immigrants from Hong Kong 40 years ago.
If you wish to sample some of Chef Dicky’s Hunan chicken prepared by the master himself, you will have the opportunity at a fundraising Chinese dinner sponsored by the Concord Ambassadors on Sunday, June 25.
The event is being held at 5:30 p.m. the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, and it’s open to the public. Besides Hunan chicken, the dinner menu will include egg rolls, beef mixed vegetables, and vegetable chow mein. The cost is $20 per person, and $10 for children 10 and younger, with all proceeds going to the Ambassador organization.
Payment will be collected at the door. Reservations are not required, although I strongly advise it to be assured a seat. For reservations, call 925-672-4562.
Comments about the sponsors: The Concord Ambassadors organization was established in 1974 when executives representing Concord and Kitakami, Japan, met in Concord to draw up a charter of lasting friendship between the two cities.
Since that meeting, there have been numerous cultural exchanges, the latest taking place in 2014 when Concord hosted 51 delegates from Kitakami for a three-day home stay. As in the past, all expenses are borne by the Ambassadors through the generosity of its members, other organizations and fundraising events such as the dinner.
Overseeing the dinner is Mary Rae Lehman, past city clerk of Concord. Mary Rae’s assuming that responsibility should come as no surprise to those who know her. Her work ethic as a former city employee is well-known.
Although officially retired, she continues to work tirelessly with different nonprofit groups in the community. She is currently vice president of the Ambassadors, and, I might add, the backbone of the organization.
Those of you who are planning to attend the dinner will have ample opportunity to meet and talk with her.
One final note: The Ambassadors are planning a group trip to Japan in 2019, which will include a three-day stay in Kitakami. You don’t have to be a resident of Concord or a member of the Ambassadors to sign up for the trip. Mary Rae will be available to answer questions regarding membership and the Kitakami trip during and after the dinner.
Addendum: My family and I took the trip to Japan in 2009. Besides being royally tread by the townspeople of Kitakami during our memorable three-day stay in their city, our tour group spent the remaining time visiting many of the most beautiful sites of central Japan.
Eizo Kobayashi is a Concord resident and a member of the Concord Senior Citizens Club. Contact him at transcript@bayareanewsgroup.com.
