Lina Fat, former Master Chef and head of research and development for the legendary Sacramento restaurant Frank Fat’s, died last Monday. 

Frank Fat’s on L Street is known for its Chinese cuisine and famous banana cream pie. And, if the walls of that restaurant could talk, they would tell many tales of lobbying and legislative deal making. Frank Fat’s celebrated its 80th anniversary over the summer, commemorating many decades of feeding Sacramentans and visitors from near and far.

Frank Fat’s is a short walk from California’s State Capitol building. It opened across the street from the Greyhound bus depot in 1939, in the midst of the Great Depression. Fat’s is a beloved and treasured icon of the Sacramento restaurant scene, and has become known as the “Third House” of the State Legislature. 

In her interview with Insight Host Beth Ruyak in September 2019, Lina Fat reflected on many themes, including being a woman in the workplace, what it’s like working closely with family, and about the friends she’d made along the way.