About

China Wok

Our Story

Chef Ly (Lee) was born in Hanoi, Vietnam. At the age of 14, during the Vietnam war, he fled by boat on the South China Sea. The boat was made by his older brother to escape. It carried 80 people from their home town to Guangzhou, Canton. It took two months of facing treacherous waters and weather conditions. They survived by eating rice, sardines and bread. They used the rain for drinking water, but it was very salty and hard to drink.

They tried to ration their only resources, but ran out of food and starved for 7 days. Fighting to stay alive, holding on to the dream of a new life, they arrived at the province of Guangdong (Canton). As refugees, they were taken by hostile conditions to a concentration camp in Hong Kong.

Determined to survive, Chuong Ly was thankfully sponsored to work in a local restaurant as a food prep. He was mesmerized with the head chef and his presentation of the plates. His passion evolved quickly as he learned how to use a knife and the wok properly and learned the art of authentic Chinese cooking. He then became the youngest chef for a famous restaurant in Hong Kong.

Chef Ly says “food gives people life” and he wants to share that with the world. His 40 years of experience and the dream of opening a place where families reconnect with each other to share a warm meal and eat together has come true. He’s humbled to serve the families in the desert for 16 years and counting. 

People come from all over the world to eat Chef Ly’s award-winning food, comprised of simple spices blended in a flavorful and aromatic way that excites the senses preparing them for a unique experience. Watching Chef Ly cook is like watching an artistic expression of dance with food as he’s flipping the wok in his unique and secret sauces. The heat of the wok sears the sauce and coats it with flavor capturing the freshness of the food, where the aromas can be smelled from miles away.