Chen Chiang turned 92 in 2020, and speaks minimal English. He left Taiwan, where he worked as a police officer, to join his sister in Maryland. His family soon followed.
In Hagerstown, he could find work only at Burger King, in 1974. Chen moved to Frederick in 1983 and decided to open his own business, now called China Garden. He wanted to share his passion for Asian cuisine with the community.
For years, China Garden placed #1 in Frederick Magazine’s “Best of the Best.”
He had a great team and wonderful customers who became friends. He taught his family to give back to the community. Chen loves to cook, feed people, and treat guests as family. One of his most enjoyable moments is to see multi generations dine in the restaurant.
China Garden had a fire in 2019, and the family hopes to reopen in the summer of 2021.
Memory Treasures
Chen Chiang was a police officer in Taiwan before he came to the U.S. This color photograph shows Chen in front of his restaurant China Garden in Frederick. This newspaper clipping from the Frederick News-Post announces the opening of China Garden, February 12, 1992. (A detail of the article appears on click)
