Jewish restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld, widely credited for introducing New Yorkers to the secrets of Chinese cuisine, died Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 72.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Born in Brooklyn in 1949, Schoenfeld was the owner of Manhattan's Red Farm restaurants. He operated a string of eateries specializing in Chinese regional cuisine in the 1970s and 1980s, including Uncle Tai's Hunan Yuan, Auntie Yuan, and Pig Heaven.
New York's culinary community mourned his passing over the weekend.
NY.Eater.com wrote that over his five-decade career in the hospitality industry, Schoenfeld "documented the rise of the city's white-tablecloth Chinese restaurants in the United States, often in informal oral histories."
The online magazine also said he was dubbed "a walking encyclopedia of Chinese food."
Schoenfeld's personal history with Chinese cooking dates back to the late 1960s, and he often said he became "obsessed with Chinese food" in his early teens. He helped restaurateur David Keh open Uncle Tai's Hunan Yuan in 1973, which went on to receive a four-star rating from the New York Times.
He opened the West Village's Red Farm in 2011 as an ode to Chinese-American cooking. The restaurant was an instant hit, and locations on the Upper West Side and in London followed.
Schoenfeld is survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
