{"id":382283,"date":"2026-07-01T16:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/382283\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T16:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:47:08","slug":"asia-live-george-cindy-chen-talk-about-their-inspiration-gourmet-favorites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/382283\/","title":{"rendered":"Asia Live: George, Cindy Chen talk about their inspiration, gourmet favorites"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acclaimed chef George Chen brings decades of culinary vision to Asia Live<\/a>, the new food emporium at Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara. He burst onto the San Francisco scene with Betelnut, a project with the city\u2019s famous Chinatown restaurateur Cecilia Chiang that presaged Asia Live with a menu showcasing cuisine from Singapore to Tokyo.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Unique Japanese market opens doors in San Jose to enthusiastic patrons<\/a><\/p>\n

He and his wife and business partner, Cindy Wong-Chen, followed up that act with trailblazing places like the sophisticated Shanghai 1930 and the prescient Longlife Noodle Company and Jook Joint. In 2017, they embarked on their biggest SF project, opening the massive China Live food palace.<\/p>\n

We chatted with them about selecting Silicon Valley for Asia Live and asked them for recommendations for the foodies who will be flocking to Stevens Creek Boulevard to check it out.<\/p>\n

Q: You would have sealed your legacy as a groundbreaking chef if you had stopped at the 16 restaurant concepts you have created globally. What made you decide to embark on this Asia Live venture?<\/p>\n

A: Imagination keeps Cindy and me alive. We don\u2019t have children (God\u2019s fate), but we\u2019re best friends and always interested in the arts, most certainly culinary. China Live, after years of toil, became a local sensation even in a city as fickle as San Francisco. From Betelnut, Shanghai 1930 (when Cindy joined me), we\u2019ve always tried to push the envelope toward new ideas and venues. Certainly not all work because they\u2019re all different and succeed and fail just as in life.<\/p>\n

RELATED: A food lover\u2019s guide to Asia Live at Valley Fair<\/a><\/p>\n

What drew us to the South Bay is that this dynamic area with strong ethnic demographics does not have real home-grown mega-concepts, but look at the amazing tech titans that changed the world there. And one thing for sure \u2026 we all love good food and the overall dining experience. So Asia Live takes aim at this market as it\u2019s a big part of the Bay Area and seems to never get much culinary attention.<\/p>\n

We have very high expectations and standards \u2014 but so does the public \u2014 and we\u2019re working hard daily to improve the food, service and overall experience. Give us time, and we\u2019ll be a unique part of this large community.<\/p>\n

Q: George, in our guide to Asia Live for readers, we\u2019ve highlighted your bestsellers, the dishes for which you are famous. What else on the Dining Hall menu would you recommend?<\/p>\n

A: I generally have an idea with all my restaurant creations, but it really comes down to execution. People always ask me what\u2019s my favorite dish on the menu \u2014 and I always answer, the one that\u2019s made perfectly! From the new menu, I think Pad Banh (still tweaking), Butter Chicken Tandoori Nuggets, Kaya Shrimp Toast, Isan \u201cHot Dog,\u201d and our version of Boat Noodles, Laksa & Japchae. Of course, the sacred cows of China Live will live here too!<\/p>\n

Q: Cindy, we have highlighted the Duck Fat Popcorn, the Ginger-Infused Vinegar and various sweets and snacks in the marketplace. What else do you recommend for foodies? What deserves the shoppers\u2019 attention?<\/p>\n

RELATED: Treat yourself at Asia Live: These 4 tasty to-go products are worth snagging<\/a><\/p>\n

A: Exotic fruit jams like jackfruit, pandan, soursop, etc., jasmine tea biscuits, my Asian Mix Granola, Asian Saam sauce. George and I are always exploring flavors and exotic ingredients to showcase. \u2026 It\u2019s exciting for us, too.<\/p>\n

Q: What can diners look forward to this winter holiday season? Will there be special dishes on the Dining Hall menu? New gift options in the Marketplace?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0We are called \u201cLive\u201d because it\u2019s a living platform, so don\u2019t expect the same menu items all the time. Winter brings different produce, and yin-yang balances come into play. We are highly seasonal and always sustainable.<\/p>\n

Q: Are you able to give us a hint about where you might open the second Asia Live?<\/p>\n

A: Not even on the radar. Cindy and I are trying to create something unique at Valley Fair, and it took the best of our combined 70 years of experience to pull this off \u2014 so far. We\u2019re not young except at \u201cheart,\u201d so it\u2019s not about the money, but just do the best we can do. It\u2019ll happen, but the public needs to be a bit patient!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Acclaimed chef George Chen brings decades of culinary vision to Asia Live, the new food emporium at Westfield…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[184,387,7,413,421,181,23,100,395,412,103909,1969,101,396,88,90,89,197,198,200,420],"class_list":["post-382283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-bay-area","tag-business","tag-california","tag-food","tag-food-and-drink","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-peninsula","tag-restaurants","tag-restaurateurs","tag-retail","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-county","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-santa-clara","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-south-bay","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}