Madame Sylvia Wu of Santa Monica, California, who owned a Chinese restaurant serving generations of Southern Californians, and many celebrities, has died at 106 on September 29, her family confirmed.
In her later years, Wu stayed in the West side’s mind with cookbooks, television shows, and charity work, particularly at the City of Hope cancer center.
Her restaurant was the first to offer a more stylized version of Chop Suey in Southern California. However, she also caters to traditional tastes. She was an integral part of her business and took telephone orders for take-out.
Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Mae West, Paul Newman, Princess Grace and many more dined at Madame Wu’s over the years. She closed the original Wilshire Boulevard restaurant in 1998, but then opened Madame Wu’s Asian Bistro & Sushi in newly opened Grove. Although the venture was not as profitable, Madame Wu still loved her customers.
The survivors include her sons George, Patrick, and many grandchildren. Her husband, who died in 2011, was her only child. They were married for 67 year.