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Irving Beilin Chang: A Memorial (1923-2017)

by Jacqueline M. Newman

People

Fall Volume: 2017 Issue: 24(3) page(s): 6


With sadness, we report the passing of Irving Beilin Chang on February 4th, 2017. He and his wife Wonona were wed sixty-two years, and both were founders of this magazine with its editor and others. This publication was and still is the only English-language Chinese food magazine, written and published in the US, since 1994. At age ninety-eight and on his last day on earth, Irving did what he loved most, he went swimming in the morning, and for lunch ate what he loved, dumplings. Only after both, did he pass on.

A memorial service was held at the Wycliffe Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach, VA on March 10th and more than two hundred relatives and friends attended. They honored and celebrated his long productive life. Among the many things he accomplished were three well-received Chinese cookbooks written with is wife, every one of them thorough and ahead of its time. In 2014 and 2015, he wrote another cookbook.

Irving came to the US in 1947 for graduate school. He received his MS in Chemical Engineering two years later from Ohio State University, and then worked for more than fifty years for Allied Chemical Corporation. He lived in New Jersey and traveled the world solved problems for this company. After retirement, he and Wonona moved to Virginia Beach VA to be near their son Amos and daughter-in-law Joan. He is survived by three children and their spouses, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren; and he leaves them and two of his sisters, Kay Wang and Margaret Ma.

At the above memorial, his minister shared with many family and friends some highlights of his busy life. These included passions for cooking, eating, and writing about Chinese food. Just last year he published a new cookbook. Before that, he wrote many articles about this cuisine, this last one unique and about foods along the Grand Canal. These were places he visited often, knew well, and did dine in their restaurants and homes.

This book was reviewed and touted as ‘outstanding;’ it was one that won two awards, one national, the other international. This magazine did review it, and you can check out its review here and elsewhere. It is listed on the Flavor and Fortune’s web site. All these books show his technical background and attention to detail; all recipes in them work and taste terrific!

Irving was special to his children, grandchildren, relatives, friends, and colleagues. All have lasting and loving memories of him, this editor included. All recall many conversations about food and some were lucky enough to remember cooking and eating with him. We were blessed to know and love him; and all will miss him!

                                                                                                                                                       
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