Madame Sylvia Wu, whose Santa Monica Chinese restaurant catered to generations of residents of Southern California as well as a number of celebrities, passed away on September 29 at the age of 106, her family reported.
Wu continued to make an impression on the West side in her latter years with her cookbooks, television appearances, and charitable efforts, particularly at the City of Hope cancer hospital.
She opened one of the first eateries in Southern California to serve food with a more distinctive style than Chop Suey (although she did cater to conventional tastes as well). She was a mainstay at her company, even taking takeout orders over the phone while manning the counter.
Madame Wu dies: Cause of death revealed
The actual cause of her death has not been revealed to the public.
Over the years, Princess Grace, Mia Farrow, Mae West, Paul Newman, and many others have dined at Madame Wu’s.
In 1998, she shut down the original Wilshire Boulevard eatery and subsequently built Madame Wu’s Asian Bistro & Sushi in the recently constructed Grove. Despite the failure of that endeavour, Madame Wu was still cherished by her regular clients.
Sons George and Patrick, as well as a large number of grandkids, are still alive. 2011 saw her husband’s passing. The couple had been wed for 67 years.
