Grace Wong Sneddon

As Chair of the Victoria Chinatown Museum, Grace Wong Sneddon brings both an interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Victoria focused on race, gender, and Chinese diasporic identity with decades of leadership in equity, education, and community service to bridge lived stories that tell the personal history of Chinese Canadians in Victoria, BC.  

Victoria Chinatown Museum’s newest exhibit, A Little Bit Sweet, appearing for the first time, explores four local family stories connected to Chinese desserts and how these sweet traditions tie families, cultures, and communities together. One story in particular is closely tied to Grace’s father, Chin Nee Young: 

“My dad came to Canada as a fourteen-year-old, all by himself. He came a year after the race riots in Vancouver, and as a young, sensitive, naive boy all by his own, the elders thought there was no way he was going to survive, so they helped him find a job in Bamfield, BC.” 

After moving to Bamfield following the 1907 Vancouver Anti-Asian Riots, Chin Nee Young set out to learn English by reading whatever he could get his hands on. One book in particular caught his attention.

“He was meant to be a scholar in China, and since he couldn’t study Chinese anymore, he started to study English, reading any book anybody would give him. One of which was a recipe book. As he read, he began experimenting, learning to make cakes, and he made Western cakes since that was what the recipe book was.” 

His mastery of Western cakes became an unexpected pathway to building friendships, both at work and throughout Bamfield and Port Alberni. With his prized cakes in hand, he was invited into birthday celebrations and community gatherings. Ultimately, it was his love of desserts that opened doors, helping him bridge cultural gaps with European Canadians and Indigenous residents, and allowing him to finally find a seat at the table for himself. 

Many years later, at 82 years old, Grace Wong Sneddon’s father made one final cake, this time for Grace’s wedding day, a moment she describes as “Very emotional.” 

“I remember coming home from work and he would be bent over the cake decorating with tweezers. He made every single rose bud. It was his way of showing how much he loved me, and to me the cake personified that.” 

The story stands as an emotional testament to the power of food, not only as sustenance, but as a bridge across cultures, generations, and relationships. 

The full story, along with others like it, can be found at the Victoria Chinatown Museum within the A Little Bit Sweet exhibit, running through Spring 2026. 

Read on for Grace’s travel recommendation when visiting Victoria’s Chinatown.

1. What’s one thing you cannot miss when visiting Victoria’s historic Chinatown?

Go for dim sum! It’s such an experience.

2. Favourite local restaurant in Victoria’s Chinatown?

For dim sum it’s Don Mee Seafood Restaurant, but Golden City Restaurant also have a dim sum and so does Jade Fountain Restaurant.

3. Favourite Chinese dessert?

Absolutely, the Tapioca Cake. Except you can’t buy it, you have to make it, and we have the recipe right here in the museum.

4. Favourite local shop in Chinatown?

I buy my prepared meat at Loy Sing Meat Market. I have been going there my whole life and I continue to go there because they make such great pork. They are over 100-years-old and are North America’s oldest continually-running Chinese business.

5. Most scenic place in Victoria’s Chinatown?

The Gate of Harmonious Interest. Fan Tan Alley is a really close second. Everybody wants to be there.

6. Hidden gem in Victoria’s Chinatown?

Tam Kung Temple. It’s the oldest Chinese temple in Canada and nobody really knows about it.

7. What’s your favourite part about living in Victoria?

I love the communities, not just my community, but all the communities. We are supportive, we are kind, and we help each other.

8. What’s one word to describe the Victoria Chinatown Museum? 

Awesome!