Lee Pa lost his parents at age 10 while living in Seoul, Korea. He remembers washing dishes at a Seoul restaurant to support himself at age 11. “I was too small to reach the sink, so the owner got an apple crate for me to stand on,” said Pa, who is Chinese. “I know what it’s like to be cold and with no food.” By age 31, Pa made his way to the United States and worked in restaurants, becoming a chef and eventually starting his own restaurant. Now 63, Pa owns Happy China on Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur and lives in Town and Country. Although Asians have settled in St. Louis since the mid-19th…

So far in the Patch "Census Stories" series, we've looked at several communities that have grown since 2000. Last month, the series focused on St. Charles, which grew by about nine percent after the last census.  Friday morning, Patch roving editor and reporter Joe Scott presents his story about Creve Coeur and Maryland Heights, neighboring communities that have welcomed new residents from the other side of the globe. Here are the other cities we've looked at so far: O'Fallon, which grew by a whopping 71 percent between 2000 and 201o. Florissant. The city grew by about three percent, and saw …