Leeann Chin, woman behind a Chinese food empire, dies at 77

The first of her restaurants opened
in Minnetonka in 1980. Today the
fast-food chain has more than 40
locations.

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: March 12, 2010 - 9:12 PM

Leeann Chin could not keep her delectable
Chinese cuisine a secret.

When the seamstress, who had emigrated to
Minnesota from her native China in 1956,
began to throw dinner parties at her Twin
Cities home to thank customers who brought t
heir clothes to her to mend, her entrees
were so well-received that she was asked to
cater parties and teach cooking classes.

The demand grew, and in 1980 she opened
the first of her restaurants in Minnetonka,
one of the first in the Twin Cities to offer
authentic Szechwan and Cantonese cuisine.

"One thing just led to another," said her
daughter Laura Chin, of Edina. "It just sort of
happened."

Chin, 77, died Wednesday in Seattle, where
she had been staying with her daughter, a
Leeann Chin Inc. spokeswoman confirmed
Friday. Chin, who has suffered from cancer,
was a longtime south-metro resident who
most recently had spent much of her time at
her daughters' homes.

The original concept for Leeann Chin
restaurants called for a sit-down venue with
intricate meals and menus written in
calligraphy. The food drew such large crowds
that soon after opening, Chin jettisoned her
initial format and went buffet-style.

"We'd spend three days preparing the food,
and it would be sold out after an hour," her
daughter said.

The popularity of her first 80-seat restaurant
in the Bonaventure Mall across from
Ridgedale led in 1984 to the opening of two
others, one in St. Paul's Union Depot and the
other in the International Design Center in
Minneapolis.

Soon Dayton's asked Chin to open a takeout
operation in the market area of its store on
Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. That
location, which also opened in 1984, served
an average of more than 1,000 customers
per day.

Chin, who created most of the recipes, was
"proud of offering quality food and being able
to offer it at a good price," her daughter said.

She ran the restaurants until 1985, when
General Mills bought her company and rights
to the name. Chin regained the company in
1988 and remained with it until she retired in
1999. Under her direction, it evolved into a
fast-food and takeout operation with
counters at places such as Byerly's grocery
stores. Today there are more than 40 Leeann
Chin locations, most in the Twin Cities.

An accidental career

Chin had never intended to get into the
restaurant business. Born in Guangzhou,
China, she emigrated to Minnesota in 1956.
She took classes to learn to make wedding
dresses and mended clothing to earn a living
while raising her five children. As word of her
talent with food spread, she taught cooking
classes through community education
programs and at Edina's former Creative
Learning Center.

Chin "touched the lives of her employees and
guests with her charm and hospitality," said
Mike Loney, chief operating officer of Leeann
Chin Inc. "She was incredibly elegant,
generous and had a contagious
entrepreneurial spirit."

In addition to her daughter Laura, Chin is
survived by three other daughters, Katie
Chin-Jonas of Los Angeles, Jean Chin of
Seattle and Linda Chin of Boston; a son, Bill
of Chicago, and 11 grandchildren. Services
will be held at 1 p.m. March 27 at Normandale
Lutheran Church, 6100 Normandale Road,
Edina.