SAM CHAN – GOLDEN ISLAND RESTAURANT

Well let’s face it. We all know Sam. Or at least he knows all of us. If you grew up on Salt Spring chances are you grew up with Sam and his Chinese Food on family nights out. He’s probably been poking fun at you with
his cheeky wit since you were a child. And if you aren’t living under a rock and know what the May Long Weekend can be like, you’ll know that most restaurants dread the idea of filling up with a slew of rowdy beer swilling soccer teams.
But not Sam. He fills their Chinese teacups with lager and cheers to his locals. It’s not uncommon to have an ice cube or two strategically tossed down the back of your t-shirt also. Gotta keep us in line!

He works the room with gobs of personality and an amazing memory for names and orders.  He manages to get food out fast and with a smile. It’s not uncommon to chuckle through most of your meal at Golden Island Restaurant.  And never
once has Sam let me leave him a tip, telling me “you’re a young mom, I know what it’s like living on this island, you keep that money for your family”. And you should know, this interview cost me a hundred bucks!

But cheeky smile aside he’s a modest, hard working family man whose theory on life is that it takes two to tango, and it could always be worse. Sam lives a simple life and that’s the way he likes it. He is a hard working
Family man.

Born in Hong Kong “a long time ago”, Chi-Sham (Sam) Chan immigrated to Canada in ’74. He landed in Seattle and made his way to Victoria where he enrolled in UVic. Sam received his degree in computer science but never did get a chance to put his degree to work.  He always tells his 2 boys “I did finish”.

After completing his schooling Sam was given the opportunity to come to work on Salt Spring at The Golden Island Restaurant, which was owned by his brother in law Ted. That was 27 years ago, and nothing much has
changed, except maybe Sam’s hair going from black to white.

When Sam’s not busy being the face of his popular island business his                    priorities are at home raising two sons with his wife Jane. True to Salt Spring form his youngest son, Andrew (Grade 5), loves to play soccer. His oldest son, David
(Grade 7), is a computer guy like his dad. Sam’s mom and dad live at his home on SSI in an addition that was built for them to retire in. They too immigrated to Canada over 30 years ago.

Sam has traveled back to Hong Kong a few times but calls it a “money paradise”.  He prefers the life he has created here. He loves his community. “The people are so nice here”, “Imagine an island the size of Salt Spring with 2 million people on it instead of 12,000 residents like we have here, and people say that’s too many”

When I talked to Sam about the way he runs his business and his amazing memory, how he knew who I was, even on the phone, and how he remembered my day job is a house cleaner. His answer was simple; “People
come and bring you money every 2 or 3 weeks, you’ve got to remember their name, what they do. I appreciate them. When I can’t remember your name, it’s time for me to retire.”

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