During the late 1880s, one of the first and most famous restaurants in Boston’s Chinatown was owned by Moy Auk, who also led a famous Chinese musical band. His restaurant was referred to as the “Delmonico’s” of Chinatown. At this time, Delmonico’s, in Manhattan, was considered one of the finest restaurants in the country so this was very high praise.
When Moy Auk traveled from China to the U.S., he first settled in San Francisco and opened a small restaurant. Over time, he also formed a small musical band and found a deep passion for music. He eventually decided to sell his restaurant, and travel across the country, playing with his band, primarily at dime museums, popular entertainment centers during this time period.
In February 1888, Moy and his band, consisting of five fiddlers and banjo players, arrived in Boston, and played for two weeks during the Chinese New Year celebrations. A year later, in January 1889, Moy and his band returned to Boston, from New York City, to play again at the Chinese New Year celebrations. However, Moy apparently was tired of all the travelling with the band, had saved some money, and decided to settle in Boston’s Chinatown, opening a restaurant once again.
Moy’s opened his restaurant at 36 Harrison Avenue, on the floor below the headquarters of the Chinese Free Masons. The first mention of his culinary skills was in the Boston Globe, June 11, 1889, which noted that Moy had catered a banquet celebration for the Chinese Free Masons for about 500 people, while also leading the band. He certainly must have been a very busy man that evening.
Less than two weeks later, the Boston Globe, June 23, 1889, went into much more detail about Moy’s restaurant, which was one of only six in Chinatown at that time. His restaurant was referred to as the “Delmonico’s of the Celestials in this city,” and was primarily patronized by other Chinese, including celebrities and dignitaries, although some non-Chinese also dined there, seeking a dish of chop sui. Moy’s great fame apparently arose within a time span of less than six months, which is indicative of his great culinary skills.
The restaurant had about a dozen tables, and you had to walk through part of the kitchen to get to the dining room. The kitchen had a large brick oven as well as an ordinary cooking stove. Also in the kitchen, you could see loins of pork, quarters of lamb, and strings of small pork sausages hanging from the ceiling. The article also claimed that hens, ducks and rabbits were kept in the backyard until needed for use, but Moy later corrected them, noting his poultry was kept in Winter Hill, until they were needed.
In August 1889, Moy Wah, a laundryman who lived outside of Boston, came to Chinatown for the Holiday of the Moon and won a significant amount of money gambling at fan-tan. So, with his winnings, he decided to throw a banquet to celebrate. He hired Moy Auk to cater the incredible banquet, which would be for 12 people and would cost $12 a plate, roughly equivalent to $340 a plate in today’s dollars. Moy and his assistants spent 3 days preparing for this lavish banquet.
The Boston Globe, September 10, 1889, reported that “It is the custom in China for merchants who have been successful in business to give a banquet to their customers and friends once a year.” Moy Auk catered one such banquet on September 9, and the article wrote, “Moy Auk is recognized throughout New England as the crack celestial chef, and his dishes are greatly prized by the Mongolians, who say that they are prepared with a greater delicacy than those of any other Chinese cook.”
Moy Auk, who had operated his restaurant for less than a year, was already quite famous and his culinary future looked extremely promising. However, Moy Auk wasn’t truly happy, and he was growing tired of operating a restaurant. The Globe article also mentioned that Moy was currently awaiting the arrival of his brother who would take over the restaurant, while Moy planned to return to traveling the country with his band.
In general, his band made about $120 a week, with each member receiving $20 and Moy also taking a small commission from the others. Moy’s deepest passion appears to have been music, not cooking, despite his genius in the kitchen.
As 1890 began, Moy Auk’s restaurant finally closed without any fanfare. His brother never showed up so Moy decided simply to shutter the restaurant. He was happiest as a musician and left Chinatown with his band. Moy would return to Chinatown at times, playing for events with his band, and one of the last mentions of his presence in Boston was in April 1897, when his band played at a charity event in Boston.
A great loss for Chinatown.
