Curtis Chin – Writer, filmmaker and storyteller of culture and community

“Chinese restaurants are going to save America.” That’s the bold belief of Curtis Chin — writer, filmmaker, activist, and author of the memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. Growing up as a Chinese American in 1980s Detroit, Curtis found community, identity, and resilience inside his family’s landmark restaurant, Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine.

In this episode of Forktales, Curtis reflects on life lessons from the dining room, the power of service and conversation, and why family restaurants act as vital community glue. He also explores Detroit as a cultural crossroads and the lasting influence Chinese restaurants have had on how Americans eat today.