Few are the restaurants that manage to survive for four long decades, much less thrive throughout. Fewer still are those that accomplish this praiseworthy feat under the same owner and chef. Chef Chu’s iconic Los Altos restaurant is one of those truly rare examples.
Under the energetic guidance of owner/chef Lawrence Chu, Chef Chu’s has been going strong for 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Lunchtime, dinnertime, and even in between, the restaurant is a happening place. Crowds pack the main dining room; others line up in the entrance foyer picking up food to go; private parties liven the upstairs banquet room; and in the evening hours vans come and go delivering dinners to nearby homes. Even in these challenging economic times, when many other restaurants are in retreat mode, Chef Chu’s remains a busy magnet; a perennial favorite for everyone from Peninsula residents to visiting pro athletes and even heads of state.
How have these notable accomplishments been achieved? Take a moment to meet the chef himself and you’ll immediately learn the reasons. Lawrence Chu is deservedly the Bay Area’s celebrity Chinese chef, a man whose long devotion to creative cooking was not only honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Chinese Restaurant News in 2009, but also elevated his restaurant’s ranking into the top ten of all Chinese restaurants (out of nearly 41,000!) in the entire United States.
Sitting down to chat with Lawrence Chu—or watching him in action at the restaurant—you can’t help but be impressed by his charisma, energy and drive. His restaurant is his consuming passion, and it shows. After 40 years he is still fully involved with all the details of running the restaurant, putting the final touches to everything. “ I love to eat. I love to talk. I love to cook,” he says, “and I believe in treating every day like a grand opening.”
With a commensurate commitment to offering the highest quality food, service and value, Chef Chu’s consistently gets exceptionally high marks. Visit Yelp or Zagat and you’ll find rave reviews of dishes such as Sichuan Beef, Honey Walnut Prawns, Basil Chicken with Garlic, and Steamed Sea Bass. Diners can count on top-quality ingredients and preparation: all dishes are prepared with unsaturated oils, fresh vegetables, savory chicken broth and premium meats. While Chef Chu’s serves mostly Western-style Chinese food, the menu also offers a variety of traditional as well as innovative dishes. And if you should have in mind any delicacies not listed on the menu—such as Dungeness Crab with golden garlic crust, Miso-Crusted Sea Bass, Honey-Glazed Quail, Orange Blossom Pork Ribs or Pan-Seared Rack of Lamb with Lemongrass—you can order them with 24-hour notice.
Chu’s culinary enthusiasm extends beyond his menu: He also offers cooking classes to share his knowledge and love for Chinese food, and organizes culinary tours to Asia. And in commemoration of his restaurant’s anniversary, Lawrence Chu published a new cookbook, Celebrating Your Place at Our Table. Along with a history of his restaurant, it includes easy-to-follow recipes for many of his acclaimed specialties. (His first cookbook was the successful The Distinctive Cuisine of China.)
The ultimate display of Chu’s culinary expertise, however, is available for sampling at his annual New Year banquets—a series of four or five lavish banquets held weekly around Chinese New Year, in which he prepares special feasts of gourmet dishes.
Despite his restaurant’s great success, however, if you ask Chu about his achievements he will rank his family as number one, crediting his wife for supporting his dream back in the very beginning when Chef Chu’s was just a small and simple eatery. The restaurant has come a long way since then, and the story continues to unfold with the next generation as Lawrence’s son and daughter, Larry and Jennifer, add their own energies to running the restaurant.
Lawrence Chu also finds time to be a paragon of community service, donating to local causes such as the annual Glide Memorial Church Benefit, El Camino Hospital and many more. His sense of community also extends to his staff, many of whom have been with him for decades.
A family man. A community man. And an expert chef. These are the elements of his uncommon success. -RV, March 2010
HOURS:
Mon-Fri, 11:30-9:30; Sat-Sun, 12-10.
ADDRESS:
1067 N. San Antonio Rd. (at El Camino Real), Los Altos
INFO/RESERVATIONS:
(650) 948-2696
www.chefchus.com
Food photo caption: Left to right: Dungeness crab with golden garlic crust, honey-glazed quail and Maine lobster with noodles are items that can be special ordered and are included as recipes in Chu’s new cookbook, “Celebrating Your Place at Our Table.”
