‘I don’t want to leave’: Beloved San Jose Chinese restaurant forced to close after 28 years

ERIC DIEC CALLS EVERY CUSTOMER who walks through the doors of Chef Li a friend. He bustles around the small Chinese restaurant in West San Jose carrying pots of colorful orchids and steaming plates of garlicky string beans, stopping to chat with customers.

Diec owns one of the few remaining small, family-owned restaurants in Camden Park plaza — and after 28 years in business, he’s being forced to close his doors.