The Best Barbecue in the Tri-State (And Its Owner Doesn’t Wear Cowboy Boots)

by Crystal Bennett’s Moveable Feast, Beaver County Business

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A Taste of Home, Thousands of Miles Away

When Chong first stepped off a plane in Los Angeles in 1982, she had no illusions about how easy her new life in America would be. The air was heavy with smog, the traffic endless, and the language as baffling as the neon freeways. She arrived with determination, not connections. She rented a small apartment, worked long shifts, and tried to make sense of a country that often seemed indifferent to her presence. Cooking was her anchor — a way to connect without stumbling over words.

Desert Interlude

Her next stop was Arizona, which she still describes with a grimace: ‘Too hot. Always too hot.’ Work was scarce and community was harder to find, but she pressed on, guided by faith and stubborn resolve.

The Restaurant in Beaver Falls

A modest storefront on Fourth Avenue across from the Bagpiper was the Beaver County home of Chong’s Korean Restaurant for 14 years –and will be through October. The décor is simple, the chairs sometimes wobbly, but the food carries the flavors of memory, persistence, and belonging. For years, Geneva College students have flocked there, adopting Chong’s as a second dining hall. For many, it’s been their first taste of kimchee, Korean sushi, or bulgogi.

Fire Meat and Community

Bulgogi — literally ‘fire meat’ — is not barbecue as most Americans know it. It is thin slices of beef marinated in soy, sesame, garlic, and ginger, cooked quickly and served with a host of side dishes. Eating bulgogi, Chong’s signature dish, is not a solo act. The table becomes part of the cooking, the meal an act of community.

Looking for a New Stage

Now, after decades in Beaver Falls, Chong is dreaming forward again. She lives in New Brighton and hopes to find a new home for her restaurant, more central to Beaver County. She knows what every restaurateur knows: location is everything. It will take vision, investment, and the right address. And this is where Beaver County comes in: if you know of a space, a storefront waiting for life, or a corner that could use a little fire meat, tell her.

Because once you’ve eaten at Chong’s, you know — it’s not just food. It’s belonging.