Ms Chi Restaurant Staffer Hails ‘Top Chef’ Star Shirley Chung As ‘So Positive, So Holy’ As She Battles Stage 4 Tongue Cancer
'Top Chef' alum Shirley Chung shaved her head after being diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.
July 31 2024, Published 7:37 p.m. ET
Beloved Top Chef alum Shirley Chung, who owns the wildly popular Ms. Chi Café in Southern California's Culver City, is closing her restaurant after being diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue cancer.
RadarOnline.com can exclusively share staff and customers alike are calling Chung's announcement about her health “bittersweet” and “sad”.
Ms. Chi Café waitress, Michelle, said despite the restaurant closing everyone is just focused on Chung's recovery.
Chung explained she learned about the diagnosis after severely biting her tongue and fracturing her tooth, which she then had to have extracted.
In a separate Instagram update, Chung, and her husband, Jimmy Lee, who is Ms Chi’s manager, shared the sad news: “In light of Chef Shirley’s diagnosis, we have made the difficult decision to close Ms Chi Café so she can focus on recovery.”
The post was accompanied by a video and photos of Chung, along with Lee and other staff members shaving her head.
Several days before closing, the restaurant was packed at lunchtime, both indoors and on the patio. A Ms Chi waitress by the name of Michelle, exclusively told RadarOnline.com about Chung's choice to cut her hair.
The waitress revealed: “She was so happy, joking about it and everything, but she's amazing.”
While speaking about her boss' diagnosis, she added: “We are all sad. It’s very bittersweet. We’re just hoping for the best for her and focusing on her recovery.”
Shou Zhang (left) and her friend drove all the way from East to West Los Angeles to try chef Shirley Chung's famous food.
“She’s just a sweetheart. She’s just so positive, so holy. Like, you can’t even tell that she's going through [cancer].”
The waitress also praised Lee, saying: “I’ve worked here for five years which just shows you how great she is, Jimmy is, and what it’s like working here.”
Lee, who was run off his feet serving tables, simply smiled and told us: “I think her post says it all.”
In the somber social media message, Chung, 47, shared she initially thought her problems came from being a “heavy teeth grinder.”
However, at the end of May, Chung said her mouth “erupted” with ulcers.
“My oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue. A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes.”
Shirley Chung is renowned for her Chinese American food - and in particular her incredible dumplings.
The Chinese American chef said she was “very calm” when the doctors delivered the news: “As a chef, I’ve always thrived under pressure. I was extremely focused on getting all the tests and scans as fast as possible, so I can start on the treatment plans.”
She revealed surgeons said one option was to completely remove her tongue, and that would give her the highest survival rate: “I broke down, crying ... trying to put thoughts together…”
However, the surgeon then told her: “There is another option, which was a unicorn case, at the University of Chicago, they cured a patient (a chef!) with radiation and chemo.”
Shirley Chung's Ms Chi Café was packed to the gills days before closing.
After telling Chung she would have to go to Chicago for treatment, she stated: “Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue. I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too.”
At the time of her post, Chung said she had completed six weeks of chemotherapy (with many more weeks to go) and that she was “going to the hospital 4 times a week for injections."
She added: “My tumor is shrinking, my speech is much better and I can eat most normal food now.”
In the announcement confirming the closure of their restaurant, the couple stated: “We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you – our staff, supporters and fans."
“We have truly enjoyed spreading the dumpling love over the last several years and calling Culver City our home! Please come by, say hi, and enjoy our menu before we close.”
People did just that. Among them was Chinese American Shou Zhang who drove from East Los Angeles to West Los Angeles for her first – and last – meal at the restaurant.
A “huge” fan of Chung from her Top Chef days, Zhang told RadarOnline.com: “I’m also Chinese. I was born in China. So, it was really great to see mainland Chinese food represented on such a big platform.”
Zhang follows Chung on Instagram and said it was “shocking” when she learned about her diagnosis, “because I know how much she loves cooking and food and this place.”
Zhang’s verdict on the food? “As a Chinese person, you can tell just how much care is taken to make the meat and you can tell right away that the pickled vegetables are homemade.”
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She also noted the thing she “really loves” about Chung is “nothing can get her down.”
Waitress Michelle echoed that sentiment. Even though she doesn’t have a new job lined up yet, she remained positive, saying: “I think we're more worried about [Chung’s] recovery.
"I hope that she gets better, and we’ll see what comes from there. Who knows? Maybe she’ll do a comeback.”
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