Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [ca. 1949-1983] (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
65 menus
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Robert Bon Lee was born on 7 April, 1939 in Toronto, Ontario. His father, Poy Gar Lee, was born in Guangdong province of China and his mother, May Hong, was a first-generation Chinese immigrant who grew up in Brockville, Ontario. Lee grew up in the Gerrard and Jarvis area and studied Metallurgy at Ryerson Institute of Technology. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked as a bartender and later restaurant manager at Nanking Restaurant until it closed in 1979. He had close relationships with many other Chinese restaurant owners and a genuine interest in Chinese cuisine. He later moved to Scarborough with his family. Robert Bon Lee passed away in May 2020.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Material was donated on behalf of Robert Bon Lee by his sister.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Collection contains 65 Chinese and Polynesian menus mostly from the Toronto area, collected from around the 1950s to 1970s. Also includes some menus from Quebec and the USA.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Digitized menus can be found here: https://discoverarchives.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/robert-bon-lee-collection