Tung Chan: Canada

Successful Businessmen Dept: It was 1973 and Chan, now one of Canada's most respected and successful businessmen, was a new immigrant from Hong Kong, according to Vancouver Sun. When he took orders and tried to write things down in English, he got things wrong, misheard words and mixed up orders, then couldn't explain to the baffled diners what was going on and beef Stroganoff, Cherries Jubilee, Caesar Salad. These simple menu items nearly foiled Tung Chan's hopes for a prosperous future in Canada. The plucky 22-year-old had landed a job as a waiter at the Terminal City Club in Vancouver. The only hitch was that he didn't speak English, much less know a chateaubriand from a pork chop. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.