Galt Museum to Receive Major Donation from Final Regent Restaurant Fundraiser
Wayne Kwan, owner of the Regent Restaurant which closed its doors on April 7, will be at the Galt Museum & Archives on Thursday, April 17 at 2:30 pm to present a major gift representing the proceeds from the Regent’s final fundraising dinner and auction to the Galt’s CEO/Executive Director Susan Burrows-Johnson and other museum representatives.
Kwan has also offered a variety of items from the restaurant to the Galt’s archives and collections, including a sign, table, chair and dishes representative of the Regent, a model-sized dragon boat with the Regent’s team photos, and a number of photographs and two-dimensional items representing the history of the restaurant.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
The cheque presentation will take place in the Recent Acquisitions area of the Collections, with a number of the physical items on display.
Background
About the Regent Restaurant
The Regent Restaurant first opened its doors in 1986 with four partners at the helm: Wally Lam, Wayne Kwan, Patrick Lam and Cho Siu Ping. In 1988, Mrs. Cho sold her stake to Raymond Yau. This newly formed partnership carried some significance because of family ties. Raymond and Wayne married Teresa and Rhonda (respectively), sisters of Wally and Patrick.
The Regent took over the main floor of the Elks’ Lodge. The remodel of the interior took a great deal of effort and it paid off. One of the most noticeable features they incorporated was a bridge over a fishpond that housed a school of koi and even included turtles at one point.
The four partners had a vision of bringing authentic Chinese cuisine to Lethbridge that appealed to a wide variety of palates, including Szechuan and Cantonese dishes and custom dishes never before seen. In the early 1990s they decided to take their vision one step further by bringing four executive chefs to Canada, two specialized in Dim Sum. Until it closed, the Regent was still the only restaurant in Lethbridge offering a Dim Sum menu.
As the years went on the partnerships transitioned as Patrick, Raymond and Wally moved onto different ventures and Wayne became the sole proprietor. Along with the many long time staff, the Regent continued to provide an elite quality of Chinese cuisine that earned them the distinction of ‘Best of the Best’ in Chinese Food in Lethbridge for a number of years.
Of Wayne’s long tenured team, four have been of particular importance. Ming Lam (Wally’s son), Koon Lam (Wally’s wife), Sandy Li and the late Terri Dong started at the Regent Restaurant on opening day and have been steadfast in their commitment to the highest standards of service.