Chan S. San immigrated to the United States in the 1980's and has lived in Carbondale since then. Chan has owned and operated Hunan Restaurant since 1987, which he runs with his wife Jenny San. He can be seen at Hunan just about every single day, working and talking with the many regular guests. Chan has won many awards for his community service in Carbondale and the surrounding areas and has been featured in many media outlets for his food and personality. He recently won the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year Award in 2010.
Chan currently serves on the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Board and on the Board of Convention and Tourism Bureau. He even went to China and Taiwan with the SIU Chancellor to help recruit students for Southern Illinois University. Chan is an active member of the community, donating time and numerous items to local charities and for the local school systems. Chan wants to make Carbondale a better place to live, work, play, visit and invest.
Chan is also a family man. He has three daughters- his eldest, Lydia is a second year law student at a private law school in downtown Chicago. His middle daughter, Sidney, is getting her graduate degree in Architecture in Houston, Texas and his youngest daughter, Natalie is a Junior at Carbondale Community High School, who is at the top of her class. On school breaks it is a family reunion at Hunan Restaurant, as the whole family can be seen working together.