Johnson Ave. pioneer, Tom Kwong dies at 87

By Marie Villani-York

Tom Kwong, the man who opened one of the first businesses on Johnson Avenue, a Chinese restaurant, and in turn opened the Riverdale community to Cantonese culture, died on April 5, at the Montefiore Medical Center, following a stroke. He was 87.

Mr. Kwong opened the sprawling Golden Gate Restaurant on the corner of West 236th Street and Johnson Avenue in 1958. The first of its kind, the restaurant was a success, attracting diners as well as drinkers, who would spend time at the avenue's only bar.

In 1988, a fire threatened to close the business permanently, but Mr. Kwong resolved to keep it going. He reopened the eatery, but the restaurant shrunk from three storefronts to its current one, sandwiched between the Corner Café and Radio Shack.

Mr. Kwong remained at the helm up until five years ago when he retired and sold the business to a new owner. Over the years, he made an indelible mark on the community and grew to become a prominent figure in Riverdale.

Those who knew him best recalled his generosity and his happy-go-lucky attitude.

"He was always smiling. Everybody on Johnson Avenue loved him," said Robert Rubinstein, a longtime Riverdale resident, lawyer and member of the Riverdale Kiwanis Club. "He was such a generous person."

Margie Berman, Mr. Kwong's daughter, said her father "was an extraordinary man who loved people and would generously assist anyone in need."

She recalled the night a fire broke out in a neighboring store, bringing swarms of firefighters to battle the blaze in sub-zero temperatures. Her father, she said, came back to open the store and began serving coffee, tea and soup to the men.

"Afterwards he expressed his heartfelt appreciation for their fortitude and determination," she remembered.

Mr. Kwong was born in Canton, China in 1921 and attended Kwok Min University. He met his wife, Kim Kwong, through a matchmaker. They were married in 1941. It was an arranged marriage, as was the custom at the time, said his daughter.

The two came to the United States and moved to Riverdale in 1961, three years after opening the Golden Gate Restaurant, but he never truly left his culture behind.

In addition to serving up Cantonese dishes day in and day out, Mr. Kwong taught Chinese cooking at the Riverdale Community Center and visited elementary school classes in Riverdale to teach students about Chinese history, cuisine and culture.

He also joined the Johnson Avenue Merchants Association, the Kiwanis Club, the Bronx Democratic Club, and the Kwang Ya Alumni Association.

"My father loved Riverdale and never thought of living anywhere else," said Ms. Berman. "He treasured all of the relationships that he had developed here and was proud to be a member of this community."

Mr. Kwong is survived by his wife Kim, of Riverdale; sons, Robert Kwong of Las Vegas, Winston Kwong of Columbus, Ohio and daughters, Margie Berman of Rye Brook, N.Y., Mabel Liew of Riverdale and Marsha Tom of Yonkers; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held on April 11 at Ng Fook Funeral Home and burial followed at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, N.Y.