Jade West Café followup: Message from the Wongs

Two weeks after that “For Lease” sign went up at West Seattle’s Jade West Café, finally confirming its chef/owner Wah Wong would not be coming back, we have a long-sought update from the Wong family. Wah’s wife Salina Wong replied to one of our messages with an update to share with the community. The update includes good news for their son Jason, who lost a leg after a drunk driver hit him and his dad outside their Beacon Hill home almost a year ago:

Wah had recovered from his injuries after intensive rehabilitation and heavy medication closely monitored by the medical teams of Harborview MC and Group Health. In May 2010, Wah underwent a surgery due to the infection caused by the metal implants embedded in his injured leg. He went through an 8-week procedure of home care IV medication and finally recovered. He began relearning how to walk, slowly but surely. Our primary concern for Wah is his health, and in doing so, Wah has decided to retire from Jade West Café—along with his passion for cooking. He will surely miss serving his customers, chatting with his regulars, and being part of the West Seattle community.

A “For Lease” sign was put up last week at Jade West Cafe with the intention to reopen the shop as soon as possible. We started receiving phone calls from many interested parties and we are specifically looking for a chef who is capable of carrying on the legacy of Wah’s Café. When a new tenant is chosen, we will inform you.

As regards to our son, Jason, he is also recovering from the injuries and doing well. He strives to walk with his prosthesis progressively. We are very proud of him being so positive, determined, and courageous to move forward to a better life. With God’s will and blessings, he has humbly accepted a job offer from The Boeing Company as a product review engineer. We all wish him tremendous success, good health, and a bright future.

Please accept our sincere gratitude for all the heartfelt love and thoughtfulness from everyone in West Seattle who continuously offer support and keep our family in their prayers. Without your support, we cannot have gotten this far.

Cordially,

Salina Wong & Family

9 Replies to "Jade West Café followup: Message from the Wongs"

  • Ben November 29, 2010 (2:19 pm)

    thank you for the update. our family will continue to miss wah and his great food, and we wish him continued success in his recovery.

  • TomD November 29, 2010 (3:23 pm)

    It’s really wonderful to see Wah again, as he continues to get his shop ready for new tenants. I don’t know if anyone can really replace him, but I am heartened by the news that he is looking for a chef to carry on his legacy.

    And no one deserves good fortune more than Jason. The Wongs are justifiably proud of him. The news that he has been hired on at Boeing is the best news I’ve heard all year!

  • Cheryl November 29, 2010 (3:51 pm)

    I’m SO happy to read this update… while I’m sad they won’t continue on w/ the restaurant, I am glad to hear things are improving, and wish their entire family many blessings and success ahead.

  • MsEvelyn November 29, 2010 (6:58 pm)

    What an amazing family! I wish them all the best…

  • CitizenR November 29, 2010 (7:21 pm)

    Always such a nice quiet place to go, relax and enjoy! God Bless You Wong family!

  • DaveG November 29, 2010 (11:13 pm)

    Thanks sooo much for the update. I know that the Wongs are very private people, and we all appreciate the update, and please know that you will always be treasured memories for us long time West Seattle residents. And please tell Wah “what the hell!” from me :) He’ll understand :) We miss him very much.

  • hungry November 30, 2010 (12:18 pm)

    I’ll always remember the good ole days at Wah’s…..everyone sitting there all crowded together enjoying watching Wah hack away at some vegetables then quickly move to the stove and stir the wok then maybe flip a pancake or a burger with the other hand…sometimes I just let him make me what ever sounded good to him, or a lot of times I would order the tomato beef with rice…damn that was good..I can taste it now! There was one guy who used to come in and was kinda weird (maybe we all are?) Anyways, he would order something and then use about four or five huge tablespoon of that SUPER INCREDIBLY HOT sauce Wah would keep on the counter. Wah couldn’t believe he could eat that much and survive and would always shake his head and finally take it off the counter and put it somewhere below. Then there was Bob….I’ll miss Wah and all that good cookin…
    Best of luck to you all…..

  • DaveG November 30, 2010 (1:15 pm)

    I know exactly which weird dude you’re talking about :) AND the guy with the 4 spoons of Hot Sauce. He’d eat it all, leave, and Wah and I would just say ‘what the hell’ together :) Lordy I miss that man.

    Back in 2003, the wife and I video taped him. I’m so happy I have this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brfBbCj4Tic

  • King Choi December 8, 2010 (8:50 am)

    Thanks for all the good food and friendly chats.

    Wish Wah and family the best!

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