Lucy came to Tallahassee in 1968 to join her husband John Ho who was starting as a Professor of Anthropology at Florida State University. After Lucy arrived, she also started working for FSU, designing costumes for the School of Music. Lucy had another talent, though, that she was working on – she liked to cook and she liked good food! So she started cooking classes with her sister-in-law Katherine Chiu and was soon encouraged to open a restaurant by her students and friends. Lucy Ho’s Bamboo Garden, the first Chinese restaurant in Tallahassee, opened in 1970, and in 1973 Lucy and Katherine added Japanese food to their menu, thus beginning the tradition of serving the best of Chinese and Japanese cuisine in Tallahassee.

More about Lucy… Lucy was born in Taiwan when it was under Japanese rule and she learned Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunan, Peking, Taiwanese, and Japanese cooking techniques from her mother. She added to this knowledge with a degree in Home Economics, some self-training, and by working as a caterer. Lucy enjoys learning new techniques and often picks up new ideas from her travels. She is a very active member of the Tallahassee community who supports many cultural groups with her time, her energy, her experience, and her generosity.

“Thank you for coming to Lucy Ho’s. I hope you will enjoy!”

“Love, Lucy!”