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Shirley Fong-Torres

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Shirley Fong-Torres
Born(1946-11-16)November 16, 1946
DiedJune 18, 2011(2011-06-18) (aged 64)
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Occupation(s)Chef, Food Writer
Relatives

Shirley Fong-Torres (November 16, 1946 – June 18, 2011)[1] was a chef, tour operator, and popular travel and food writer based in San Francisco, California, US.

Early life

Fong-Torres was born on November 16, 1946. Her father was Ricardo Torres. Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, Fong-Torres' father (born Fong Kwok Seung), changed his surname to Torres and posed as a Filipino in order to immigrate to the United States. His family later adopted the hyphenated surname, Fong-Torres.[2] As a child, she worked in her father's restaurants in Hayward and Oakland's Chinatown.[3]

Education

Fong-Torres was a graduate of Oakland High School the University of California, Berkeley.[3]

Career

Early in her career, Fong-Torres worked at Levi Strauss as an operations manager in women's merchandising and taught middle school. She later founded Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours (1987), which still offers cultural and culinary themed tours to locals and tourists.[3] She developed the popular specialty tour "I Can't Believe I Ate My Way Through Chinatown." Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours continues today, led by her daughter, Tina Dong Pavao.

Shirley published four books: "Wok Wiz Chinatown Tour Cookbook" [1988], "San Francisco Chinatown: A Walking Tour" [1991, China Books], “In The Chinese Kitchen With Shirley Fong-Torres” [1993, Pacific View Press], and "The Woman Who Ate Chinatown" [2008].[1]

Personal life

Fong-Torres' brother, Ben Fong-Torres is an American rock journalist, author, and broadcaster.[4][2]

Fong-Torres died of leukemia on June 18, 2011.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Aloha, Shirley Fong-Torres: Guide to S.F. Chinatown, Hawai'i, their cuisine and aloha". The San Francisco Chronicle. June 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
  2. ^ a b Todd Inoue (October 10, 2021). "Documentary shows how an Oakland Chinatown kid became a more than 'Almost Famous' rock journalist". San Francisco Chronicle | Datebook. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  3. ^ a b c Carolyn Jones (June 26, 2011). "Shirley Fong-Torres, Wok Wiz tour owner, dies". SFGate. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  4. ^ Stacy Finz (August 10, 2008). ""'Woman Who Ate Chinatown' leads tasty S.F. tour". SFGate. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
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