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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, March 17, 2016 | 22 Long-time restaurateur retires, but eatery carries on by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver While ownership of a long-time Oakville restaurant has changed, the name and food that made it a local favourite remains the same. Oaks Gardens, a staple of Chinese food at 128 Speers Rd. for more than 30 years, underwent a change in management after owner John Lee, 64, retired and sold the business last fall. The Oakville resident decided it was time to step down and sell the diner, but he wanted the new owners to keep the name as a way to preserve its legacy, Lee said. "The restaurant has been here so long, so that's why I told them to keep the same name, so they can run it) the way I did. I've been running the business for so long in Oakville," said Lee. "All my family, my sons...they're all living in Markham, Ont., so they decided to let me retire. I'm almost 65." Lee originally bought the eatery with three others in 1981 -- when it was called the Golden Leaf -- and changed the name to Oaks Gardens. Oaks Gardens owner John Lee recently retired and sold the long-time Oakville restaurant after running it since 1981. | photo by Nathan Howes - special to the Beaver He bought his partners' shares of the business in 1991 and has been running it on his own since. While the exterior Oaks Gardens sign says it's been in operation since 1975, when it was owned by the proprietors before Lee took over, he pointed out that the restaurant has been open longer than that. "Actually we put the sign there because they changed the name to Golden Leaf from 1975 until we took over in 1981. The previous owner before me, they've probably been in Oakville since 1957, as this building was built in 1957," said Lee. When he bought it, Lee added more items to the menu, which consisted of Canadian and Chinese food served at a lunch buffet at the time, he said. "There were hot hamburgers, hot turkeys, clubhouse sandwiches, chicken, beef. It was allstyle Canadian food, too. I served half-and-half at lunch hour," said Lee. "In the last 15 years, this style changed. People are only going to Chinese food restaurant (for Chinese food). They don't eat see Oak Gardens on p.23 At the Pipes & Taps Pub Oak Park Blvd. St. Patrick's Day Come Celebrate Looking for direction in a volatile market? Let's talk. Marc Nutford - Financial Advisor 2387 Trafalgar Road, Unit E2, Oakville, ON L6H 6K7 905-844-4043 · www.edwardjones.com Taunton Rd. The Pipes & Taps, 231 Oak Park Blvd, Oakville 289-863-1155 Hays Blvd Oak Park Blvd Leaky Basement? Call Us! · Crack Injection Repair Specialist · Wise Dry Interior Drain Systems · Lifetime Fully Transferrable Warranty · Sump Pump Renewal Installations Call Us... 905-510-9739 Professional, Cost Effective Solutions for Wet wayne@wisecracks.com Basements w w w. H a l t o n Wi s e C ra c k s. co m Trafalgar Rd Saturday Nights Live Entertainment This week featuring: Close Enuff Dundas St.