Port Hadlock: Restaurateur who fled Tiananmen Square shows thanks to her adopted countrymen

PORT HADLOCK — When Lili-Mei Raiguel came to Port Townsend in the days following the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, she had little money and few prospects.

That was 12 years ago.

She eventually decided to start her own business, the Joy Luck Takeout Restaurant in Port Hadlock. Her daughter pitched in with the work.

Last year, she bought the Hadlock Cafe. She started another takeout restaurant in Kingston. A niece came over from China to manage it.

Raiguel has a lot to be thankful for, she says.

And Thursday afternoon, she shared her good fortune with about 50 people who stopped by the Hadlock Cafe for a free Thanksgiving meal.

She has been offering the meal for the past six years.

“We wanted to do something for the community,” she said. “A lot of older people need a decent meal. Some older people can’t even cook for themselves, let alone a turkey.”

The rest of this story appears in the Friday/Saturday Peninsula Daily News’ Jefferson County edition. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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