Tim Ma's parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s. They opened a1. It was not a success. They found2in America, however, in computers and engineering. In part because of their own3, Ma's parents hoped he would study to become an engineer. They wanted4security for their child.
Growing up, Ma considered many5—writer, fireman, even president. But he had a sense early on. He didn't want to be a(n)6.
Ma did well in math and science classes in high school. And he7choosing to study electrical engineering in college. Several engineering jobs later, though, Ma had a(n)8of heart.
His9could not understand why he would want to leave such a good job to open a restaurant. They had worked long hours10their own restaurant still failed. But Ma remained11. He was going to do things differently than his parents. He was able to learn from their one major12as restaurant owners—they knew very little about the art of cooking. Their chef13and opened a Chinese restaurant across the street which really put them in a bad situation.
So, at age 30, Ma left engineering and returned to school—cooking school. He received training in14cooking. In 2009, Ma opened his first restaurant, Maple Avenue, in Virginia. The restaurant15excellent cuisine.
At Maple Avenue, Ma worked long hours, seven days a week. His long hours16. Ma opened his fourth restaurant last year, Kyirisan in Washington, D.C. He17his training in French cooking with his Chinese heritage (传承) to create18dishes.
Kyirisan's success is due to the19menu and food, Ma says. But a lot of it just comes from "pure hard20."
