 Loading...  | Banquet for Cecilia : how Cecilia Chiang revolutionized Chinese food in America Author: Leung, Julie | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
The inspiring story of Cecilia Chiang, a revolutionary who changed the way Americans viewed Chinese food.
| Illustrator: | Iwai, Melissa |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (03/15/25)
School Library Journal (00/09/24)
Booklist (00/02/25)
The Hornbook (00/03/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 01/27/2025 Leung and Iwai present an engaging biography of entrepreneur Cecilia Chiang (1920-2020), whose San Francisco restaurant challenged the American impression of Chinese food as "cheap, fast dining." The telling begins with Chiang’s privileged upbringing in a Beijing palace. At mealtimes, her father notes what makes each chef-prepared dish "perfect." But after the Japanese invasion of Beijing in 1937, Chiang must flee the city; journeying across China by foot, she and her sister "saw how cuisine... changed from province to province." As an adult in San Francisco, Chiang is disappointed by the Chinese food she encounters, and happenstance leads to her opening a restaurant serving ample dishes "that would showcase the best flavors from China’s many regions." Interspersed with images of Cecelia’s life and travels, loosely rendered mixed-media artwork places dishes atop maps to situate their origins. The result is a lively food atlas that spotlights care as the finest ingredient. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) - Copyright 2025
