Lee family retires after nearly four decades serving the Donaldsonville area

Restaurant owners Chuck and Betty Lee closed their doors for the last time after 39 years of serving the Donaldsonville area.

Chuck Lee's Chinese Kitchen operated near the Sunshine Bridge, close to the St. James and Ascension Parish line, over recent years. The original location, along Bayou Lafourche on Hwy. 1 in Donaldsonville, opened in 1984.

Marie Siears-Alleman shared the family's story and photos in a widely-shared Facebook post.

"Bittersweet news for them and for those of us who know and love them! In the nearly forty years they have been serving up some of the finest food on the planet and pouring their heart and soul into each helping, they've carved out a little piece of paradise in south Louisiana," she wrote in the post.

The family includes two sons, Jason and David, who were born in the United States. Chuck and Betty immigrated from their birthplace in China, and as Siears-Alleman recalled, they celebrated receiving their citizenship with "red, white, and blue decorations and tons of food and fun and laughter."