Him Gin Quon

During the late 1800s and early 1900s Soon Doon Quon returned to China several times to visit his wife and daughters. On October 10, 1898 my great-grandfather, Him Gin Quon, was born and soon thereafter adopted by Soon Doon Quon and his wife since they had no sons. In about 1910 Soon Doon Quon returned to China to visit his family and to bring back his twelve-year-old adopted son, Him Gin Quon, my great-grandfather, to help in his restaurant. Since Soon Doon Quon was the owner of a restaurant in Old Los Angeles Chinatown, he was able to obtain a merchant’s certificate for himself and his son to enter America.

Him Gin Quon soon found that he was a talented cook. His exceptional cooking talent brought many of the family and district associations to Tuey Far Low Restaurant for banquets. Even as Old Los Angeles Chinatown declined in the 1900s, Tuey Far Low Restaurant prospered, and with the help of his son, Soon Doon Quon became a respected restaurateur and community leader.