NEW ON THE BUSINESS SCENE: CAI LEASES CHINA PALACE

John Cai started cooking Chinese food in 1985.

He was working at the Chemical Fibre Weaving Mill in Shaoxianga City, Republic of China, when a vacancy came up in the dining room.

Cai, a Chinese native who had completed middle school at Shaoxinga City in the Zwejiang Province of China, had previously worked as an electrician, mechanic and welder in the Tashan Village Cold Role Steel Works.

"When the opportunity came along, I decided to become a cook and chef," said Cai, who now operates his own restaurant in Cape Girardeau.

He is new operator of the China Palace Restaurant, 1731 Broadway.

Cai came to the United States in July 1992, seven years after his first chef's job.

Prior to immigrating to the U.S., Cai became a grade III chef and worked as chef of the Xiaotian Hotel of Shaixuabga County more than a year before moving to the U.S., where he became a chef at the Golden Dragon Restaurant.

When Cai arrived in Cape Girardeau, he joined the Golden Dragon, which was owned by a relative, businessman Peter Choi.

Choi introduced Cai to a basic adult-education class taught by Alberta Loos.

"I couldn't speak English," said Cai. "I owe a lot to my teacher. I speak and understand the language now."

When Choi sold the Golden Dragon, Cai started looking around and found that the China Palace was available for lease.

The China Palace was established in November 1993 by Xuesong Zhang, a research instructor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and his wife, Ying Yu.

Cai's parents, father Fumoia Cai and mother, Axing Chen, also live in Cape Girardeau. Axing Chen helps in the operation of the restaurant.

Cai's wife, Ruling Luo, was a seamtress in China and works at Thorngate Ltd. here. She sometimes helps in the restaurant. Their 11-year-old son Johnny Cai also helps at the register on occasion.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and offers a variety of authentic Chinese foods, featuring sweet and sour chicken, shrimp and pork; hunan beef, shrimp, pork and chicken and other entrees, with steamed Chinese vegetables, egg rolls and other side orders.