DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Chinese restaurant in Dearborn has served up a lot of memories over the years, and for one local couple, it was the backdrop for one of the most important days of their lives.
It's not your typical wedding venue, but for Lance Rosol and his late wife, Kayelea, their favorite Chinese food destination, Hong Kong Restaurant in Dearborn, was perfect for their big day back in 1991.
Related Video: Watch video of the ceremony from inside Hong Kong Restaurant:
"We were having a little issue with trying to figure out where we could have both families get together, and we just decided, you know, this place fit our personalities. It fit us, so we're going to do it here," said Lance.
Lance says it's a unique memory he'll always share and hold onto.
"It was just a great day," he said.
The memory is even more special now after Lance lost his wife to cancer in 2021.
"So, that was very hard and it was during COVID, too ... but I was glad that I was able to be with her," he said.
And after about 40 years in the same spot in Westborn Mall on Michigan Avenue, the beloved restaurant has found a new home in Dearborn Heights.
"This restaurant's just been here for a long time, and it's a big part of my past, so when they closed, it was just bittersweet," said Lance.
But before the doors officially closed for good, the most recent owner, Xunan Mei, made sure Lance got to say goodbye.
"He's a regular customer and he comes in here so often, so we like have kind of become friends, so we talk about stories and he told me he got married in here like 30 years ago," said Xunan.
He also offered him a special keepsake.
"He loved all the art in here, so I let him pick a few things that he liked all of from the origin of like 40 years ago," said Xunan.
One of the gifts was given to the original owners when they opened the restaurant.
"If you look at the translation of what it says on the plaque, it says ... 'congratulations Hong Kong Restaurant.' This is just the icing on the cake and it has the owner's name, so it was really nice, but I decided that it would be better that it go to the Dearborn Historical Museum and become part of their collection. I think that people should learn about these kinds of places that have longevity," said Lance.
