Day 52: Chicago Cafe, Woodland, California

📌APIA Every Day (52) - The Chicago Café in Woodland, California, just north of the UC Davis campus, offers a nostalgic dining experience with its classic diner setup and traditional Chinese American cuisine. Owned by Paul and Nancy Fong, the café has been open since at least 1903, making it one of the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurants in California and potentially the United States.

The café has been owned by three generations of the Fong family. Records of the café’s operation in 1903 are difficult to find because city directories often excluded Asian-owned businesses. Due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the Yellow Peril in America, Chinese restaurants were rare, and the restrictions on the Chinese population in America made it difficult for these businesses to succeed. Conversely, Chinese restaurants offered a rare economic lifeline since they allowed Chinese people to immigrate notwithstanding the Chinese exclusion laws. Merchants were permitted to immigrate to the US, and some courts held that Chinese restaurant operators were merchants. It is important to note that while Chinese restaurant owners were considered merchants, they were not allowed to work. For instance, they could write checks to vendors but not wait on customers or cook; otherwise, they were subject to deportation. The success and continued existence of the Chicago Cafe after a century is surprising. Persisting through an era of Chinese exclusion and being the first Chinese restaurant in America is a testament to the Chinese American experience.

Operating in a predominantly White and Latino community, the Chicago Café has become an important part of Woodland's community. The café upholds Chinese American heritage through its culinary offerings and stands as a historical site which is acknowledged by both patrons and researchers from UC Davis.

LEARN MORE:

UC Davis: Chicago Café: California’s Oldest Chinese Restaurant

Symbols of Survival: Find the Oldest Chinese Restaurants in the United States

Duke Law Journal: The War Against Chinese Restaurants

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