Before opening a beloved Oakland noodle house, he made history as an acrobat
Jimmy Huang started out as an acrobat in China. Now, he's found success as a restaurant owner in Oakland, using his family recipes that have been passed down for generations.
While it's a different stage than he's used to, he still has the same goal to please the crowd.
Jimmy Huang started doing acrobatics when he was 7.
"My mom's side did acrobat. I'm three generations," he said. "My grandpa, my mom, my aunt, my uncle. Whole family is acrobat."
He remembers being woken up at 4 every morning to practice his skills. It was his mom's idea to get him into acrobatics.
"I'm not strong," Huang said. "I was sick. My mom said do acrobat, and it will make you strong. I'm scared, but my mom said do it. My whole family do this one."
The countless hours of practice paid off as he was part of a cultural exhibition performance at the 1984 Olympics. The first year since 1952 that China was able to compete in the games.
He shared the pictures of the news article and the photos of his one-handed handstand, as rings circled his arms and legs. He performed in Taiwan, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and now his stage has transformed into a kitchen.
Huang owns the HuangCheng Noodle and Dumpling House in Oakland. A friend he met over the years persuaded him to bring authentic Chinese food to the States.
"America, there is Chinese food," he said. "You do this original food. American people like it. OK, I said I'm coming here."
Cooking is what Huang did on every day off from his acrobatics growing up, as he helped his dad at his restaurant.
"My grandpa teaching my father," he said. "My father teaching me. I'm teaching my son."
Both jobs required hard work. Huang hand makes his noodles and dumplings daily for his restaurant. While his two careers couldn't be more different, Huang said there are similarities.
"These two jobs like a performance, you know," he explained. "Just like a stage. People clap and always excited."
Serving people his family recipes gives him a similar joy as customers giving him rave reviews for his authentic dishes.
"After retire, the heart went quiet," he said. "No more clap. After I do this one, maybe customers say, 'Hey Jimmy, this is good. Your food is good.'"