The following is an excerpt from 02/17/25 Ding Ding TV:

By Gerrye Wong, CHCP Co-Founder and Trustee

The quiet little town of Alviso came to life this week when over 140 people descended upon the South Bay Yacht Club under a beautiful winter sky to attend a celebration of the life of one of its early pioneers, Thomas Foon Chew. Presented by a duo of non-profit organizations, the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) and CompassPoint Mentorship (CPM), the program honored Alviso’s most illustrious son, Thomas Foon Chew, who was the town’s most successful businessman as he founded the Bayside Canning Company which had its flagship facility in the heart of Alviso.

The day’s event was named Thomas Foon Chew Celebration and tours were given of the portion of the Bayside Cannery still standing and the surrounding levee. Then attendees gathered inside the South Bay Yacht Club to hear Chew’s granddaughter (and CHCP Advisory Board Member) Gloria Hom tell about her grandfather’s legacy. During its heyday in the 1920s-40s Bayside Canning Company was the third largest cannery in the United States. No doubt Alviso’s economy was dependent on Chew’s cannery, for as Valley Water District 3 Director Dick Santos recalled, it was said Mr. Chew had over 6000 workers in his biggest plant in Alviso, together with Palo Alto and Isleton facilities.

When queried how this little-known information of Thomas Foon Chew was uncovered after so many years, CHCP Co-President Kimberly Lee said it was a student, Grant Han, who became fascinated with the thought of a Chinese owning such a large canning factory. Grant himself told how he began interviewing people about Mr. Chew and then wrote to San Jose Councilmember David Cohen suggesting they name a day for Thomas Foon Chew, appropriately on February 25, the last day of his life in 1931.

When Grant received the good news about San Jose proclaiming a Thomas Foon Chew Day, the wheels moved when CHCP contacted Gloria Hom to be the guest speaker at an event co-hosted by the two organizations, and what a wonderful culmination of historians, families, and friends of Thomas Foon Chew were brought together to learn more about the life of this Chinese American businessman. As Dick Santos recalled, his family always worked alongside Chew and remembered him as a kind and generous employer who always fed and treated his employees well. They all looked forward to the Chinese New Year's Day when he would transport them all to San Francisco for a grand banquet meal. CPM Executive Director Catherine Liu appreciated the history of the life of Thomas and was a major leader in presenting this celebratory occasion.

Gloria Hom admitted that unfortunately her grandfather died before she was born, but she had always heard about his active work ethic and being a kind father to his 7 children, one of which was her mother. She showed slides of Bayside Canning Company labels from his canned foods. He was most famous as the first person who canned asparagus, thus earning the name the Asparagus King. The food offerings at this festive event reflected what fruits and vegetables were canned at the Bayside Cannery. They had a peach and pear punch, an asparagus bread, and a tomato caprese to remember the crops that were canned right on Alviso land.

Commemorating this true Chinese American pioneer were local officials: Councilmember David Cohen District 4, Palo Alto Councilmember and former Mayor Lydia Kou, Cupertino Vice Mayor Kitty Moore, former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon, and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Gloria Duffy. Victoria Low presented a California State Proclamation from the office of Assemblyman Patrick Ahren.

Tuesday February 25 will officially be proclaimed by the San Jose City Council as Thomas Foon Chew Day at San Jose’s City Hall Chambers to commemorate this Chinese American pioneer business hero in our Alviso and Palo Alto history.

For more information:  Read the full 02/17/25 Ding Ding TV press release.