For more than ten years, I’ve been traveling all over California, reporting stories about food and farming from every county in the state. Now, for the 58th and very last story in the series, I went back to where I grew up — Santa Clara County, to a special-occasion restaurant from my childhood: Chef Chu’s.
Chef Chu’s: the family-owned restaurant that grew up with Silicon Valley
Lawrence Chu (right) greets David Huff (left) at Chef Chu’s in Los Altos on December 11, 2025. Chef Chu’s is a family run business, owned by Lawrence Chu, which has been operating since 1970 and is known for not only the food, but also for hosting celebrities and tech innovators.
