Amy Wong serves up delicious Chinse cuisine and a smile at Amy’s Café, 750 M St., Rio Linda.

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) - For 22 years, Rio Linda’s residents have delighted in Chinese cuisine from Amy’s Café, a family business operated under the watchful eye of Amy Wong.

Wong grew up in a restaurant atmosphere as both her mother and father were chefs in their own establishment there. They emigrated to the United States 34 years ago, landing in Sacramento, and Wong’s parents picked up their cooking trade as chefs at a former Chinese restaurant.

Wong’s passion for the restaurant business continued to bloom. A dozen years after her family’s arrival to the United States, she mentioned the notion of running of the Wongs’ own family business and Amy’s Café was born.

“My parents said to go ahead and do it,” Wong reminisced.

The trio scouted out locations in the Sacramento area, eventually coming across the building on M Street in Rio Linda and have been there ever since. Amy’s Café’ is located at 750 M St. in Rio Linda.

It was indeed a bold leap, Wong maintains, initiating a business from scratch.

At first, hamburgers were included on their menu but Wong made the decision to concentrate solely on Chinese food.

Such laser focus is, she claims, a main reason why Amy’s Café is the go-to place for Chinese cuisine in Rio Linda.

When asked what keeps customers returning, Wong replies, “the food.”

Amy Wong shows off her Wall of Fame, featuring photos of two generations of Little Leaguers she has sponsored.

She appreciates her devoted customers and Amy’s Café is closed only two days of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

While she has five employees to assist her, Wong remains at the center of the operation. The business hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and her seven-day-a-week routine usually has Wong arriving an hour before doors open to the public and a half hour after the last egg roll and pork bun are served.

But with more than two decades of experience under her belt, Wong knows that she can duck out for a long break in the afternoon for shopping after the lunch rush at about 2 p.m. Wong will return before dinner patrons arrive during the 5 o’clock hour.

“I work hard for the food,” Wong said. “I enjoy it, though.”

Although she is from Canton, Wong describes the dishes as being in the tradition of Mandarin cuisine as opposed to Cantonese. The Mandarin style of cooking, she explains, is more flavorful and spicier. Literally drawing from the cliché,’ too many cooks spoil the broth, Wong supervises all operations in the kitchen. Employees pitch in but she is decidedly at the helm.

“Most every day, I do it by myself,” Wong said.

A personal favorite of hers, along with that of her customers, is the fire chicken wings. However, Wong maintains that it’s not too spicy. In addition to this standard, Wong is regularly tinkering with other recipes. At times she will ask patrons to sample her creations to obtain their reaction. Engaging customers, Wong maintains, is always a rewarding experience for her.

When asked what she likes most about Rio Linda, Wong emphatically declares, “The people. There are nice people around here that mostly know each other. I have very good friends here.”

On the right wall of her eatery, Wong proudly displays numerous local Little League teams she has sponsored since 2006. The young ballplayers sport in bold letters, Amy’s Café on their backs.

Wong adds that these former tykes are now starting to come back with their own families. Such is the legacy of Amy’s Wall of Fame, bright-eyed youngsters in their caps and uniforms along with their adult coaches frozen in time. These photos are indicative of a true Rio Linda dining tradition, still going strong for almost a quarter century.

While there is limited seating at the front of the building as well as picnic tables outside if diners prefer to eat al fresco, Wong said that most of her business is take-out.