Kelly & Tony Chu: Red Orchids China Bistro (Charleston, SC)

If you’re doing your first visit to Red Orchids China Bistro in Charleston, SC correctly, you’ll walk in a guest and leave as a friend. Owners Kelly and Tony Chu, two-first generation Chinese Americans, fell in love sharing a single dream of opening a restaurant.  They opened Red Orchids in 2003, taking on family style Chinese-American cuisine in a city with a decidedly Southern palate. The restaurant has been voted Best Chinese Restaurant in Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston for 19 years straight, and they’re also the owners of Cirsea Craft Ice Cream, a premium by-the-pint ice cream company, which began when Kelly wanted to offer Charleston something more interesting than a fortune cookie for dessert. They are committed to the power of hard work and perseverance as much as they are committed to having fun together, and they’re often a presence at special culinary events in the Lowcountry.