Proprietor of beloved Las Vegas cafe was 'a great figure in the community'

In the kitchen Jin Hall Yee ruled for years, the stovetops and prep areas were a cross-cultural sight to behold.

Pork fried rice might be cooking alongside a cheeseburger deluxe. A Chinese combo plate, a burrito and a ham-and-cheese sandwich might be going out at the same time, all prepared at lightning speed under Yee's watchful eye.

This was the State Cafe, a Las Vegas, N.M., institution that Yee owned and ran for decades, serving up three cuisines — Chinese, New Mexican and American — 16 hours a day, six days a week.

"Basically my parents were doing fusion before fusion was popular," said son Stephen Yee, whose late mother worked at the restaurant for years while the couple was still married.

Jin Yee, who poured his energy into the restaurant during two stints of operation over the