Michael Tong is the owner and executive chef of the popular Shun Lee West and Shun Lee Palace in New York City. In forty years, the Shun Lee restaurants have served about ten million people and have won two four-star ratings from the New York Times. Tong has appeared and cooked on the Late Show with David Letterman, and his restaurants have been reviewed in the New York Times , Time Out , Zagat Survey , New York magazine, and the Michelin Guide to New York City . For introducing Chinese culture to America, he has been honored by the China Institute in America, and was awarded the 2006 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He lives in Manhattan.