Susan Lew's parents opened a modest grocery store in San Diego when the family arrived, in 1965, after the Chinese communists nationalized their textile business.
Ten years later, Lew began investing the family's limited savings. Her mother recommended real estate, recalling that when devaluation made money worthless in China, land still held value. Lew first purchased local property and then expanded to Asia. Grateful for her success, she applied her entrepreneurial talent as a San Diego port commissioner, to help transform the region into a center of global commerce.
Today, Lew shares her first-generation experience with new Asian immigrants, urging them to contribute to America's political and economic life by adopting the country's language and culture, but to balance their lives with traditional Asian values, such as devotion to family and community, and respect for education.
Lew and her husband opened a second Chinese restaurant to share more Chinese culture. "I want to change the perception that Chinese cuisine doesn't go with wine."
