Springfield Business Journal_2020-08-03

David Leong is remembered as the father of Springfield- style cashew chicken Nearly 75 events set for 2020 have been called off in light of the coronavirus NRA meeting cancellation widens economic gap $2.00 · SBJ.NET AUG. 3-9, 2020 · VOL. 41, NO. 2 Dana Maugans : Travel and events likely will return to normalcy in mid-2021. by Kathryn Hardison khardison@sbj.net David Leong will be remembered by many for his perseverance and work ethic, but above all, he will forever be known as the father of Springfield-style cashew chicken. The inventor of the dish, an Ozarks twist on a Chinese food classic, gained international notoriety throughout Leong’s career, beginning in the 1960s in Spring- field. The dish – made of fried chicken, a rich brown sauce, cashews and green on- ions – has become a staple in restaurants across the United States and has appeared on menus in other countries as far as China, according to his sons. One month before his 100th birthday, David Leong died July 20 from pneumonia. “He never let anyone or any- thing get him down, and I think that’s the most important at- tributes of my dad,” said Wing Yee Leong, who is the execu- tive chef at Leong’s Asian Din- er. “From being an immigrant to being a soldier to creating a dish at a restaurant that no one wanted to eat at – they thought he was serving cats and dogs, but he persevered.” David Leong immigrated in 1940 to the United States from the Guang- dong province of China, pre- viously known as Canton. He served in the U.S. Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was in the fourth wave of troops to land on Omaha Beach during D-Day, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. He served as an Army cook, and after finishing his ser- vice, he later opened Leong’s Tea House in 1963 on West Sunshine Street. That’s where Springfield- style cashew chicken was born. The Tea House closed in 1997 following his wife’s death, and in 2010, the Leong family re- turned to the food scene with its diner at 1540 W. Republic Road. Wing Yee said the restaurant has been in- undated with condolences and orders from Springfield customers since his father’s passing. David Leong could be seen work- ing at the restaurant daily until he died. “He was there every day,” said Wing Wah Leong, another son who is a partner in the business. “He was always working in the restaurant and greeting people. He made friends with everyone he met.” State of State goes virtual by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Gov. Mike Parson spoke July 29 at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s third annual State of the State event in an en- vironment decidedly different. Due to safety concerns amid the coronavi- rus pandemic, chamber officials decided late July 24 to turn the previously scheduled in- person event to a livestream. Only a couple dozen people – media, chamber staff and board members – were allowed in- side Missouri State University’s Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts to view the governor speak about the state’s response to COVID-19 and a wrap-up of the 2020 legislative session.  Acknowledging the eco- nomic and public health chal- lenges of the past few months brought on by the pandemic, Parson boasted of the state’s response and his confidence that Mis- souri is on the road to recovery. He said for the first two David Leong forged the path for Asian restaurateurs in Springfield. by Kathryn Hardison · khardison@sbj.net The cancellation of the National Rifle As- sociation member meeting this fall has given yet another blow to local industries during a time of economic strife. NRA officials cited health and safety con- cerns from the coronavirus pandemic when calling off the meeting, which would have brought up to 1,200 people to downtown Springfield and booked up to 1,400 hotel rooms nights at University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, according to the Spring- field Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. “We were looking forward to having a big convention here in September and thinking that might be a nice come- back for us,” said CVB Sales Director Dana Mau- gans. “Most groups have canceled for the rest of the calendar year.” The NRA meeting would have created an estimated economic im- pact of $850,000, said Maugans. The annual membership meeting originally was planned for Nashville, Tennes- see, in April, but that also was canceled due to the pandemic. In June, the NRA tweeted the meeting would be held at the Springfield Expo Center. By press time, 74 events booked through the Springfield CVB that would have gener- ated $36 million in economic activity were canceled this year, with COVID-19 as the culprit. The names of events released by the CVB include Wing Ding 42, an annual motorcycle rally by the Gold Wing Road Riders Association; National Chris- tian HomeSchool Basketball Championships; and the Mis- souri Conference of The United Methodist Church. The events would have brought nearly 179,000 attendees to Springfield, generating 62,000 room nights at local hotels, according to the CVB. The restaurant, retail and transportation sectors also would have gotten a much-needed boost from this years’ planned events, said Mau- gans, though the CVB did not have data available of the eco- nomic breakdown. “People thought group events in the late summer or fall would start to take place, and I think now … it will probably be second or third quarter of 2021 before things start to turn around,” she said. See LEONG on page 20 See EVENTS on page 8 See STATE on page 18 Leong ’s Legacy provided by SPRINGFIELD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MCKENZIE ROBINSON