"We have southern Fujianese, Hakkanese, Japanese and aboriginal," says Abby Chen, herself a native of Taiwan—a.k.a. Formosa—who came here to eventually settle in Cupertino 30 years ago. The many influences, she says, are uniquely Taiwanese. "It is healthier than other forms of Chinese cooking. We use less oil." And in the bustling kitchen of the large restaurant—the restaurant can accommodate up to 200 diners—Taiwanese-born Chef Chu Hu Wang deftly whips out the many steaming dishes of seafood, rice and noodles, vegetables and meat with a flourish that comes from 28 years in the business.

Examples of what are uniquely Taiwanese among the 111 items on the menu are the three-flavor stewed chicken, the free-range chicken boiled with onion, a clam stir-fry with basil, a shrimp roll wrapped in seaweed and a pork roll wrapped in dried tofu skin—all under $9. "We also have common Chinese dishes like beef broccoli," Chen notes. And for the adventurous, English-speaking-only diner, there are family dinners for four to 10 persons—described in Chinese characters—priced from $48 for seven items to $158 for 10 items. Private parties of up to 70 persons can be accommodated in a large, tranquil banquet room, dominated by an ornate wood and mirror buffet that once served as a back bar for the cocktail lounge of an Italian restaurant that reportedly occupied the premises 20 years ago.

"Have you eaten yet?" is a common Taiwanese greeting, signifying the close bond between food and relationships. Chen furthers those relationships by greeting her diners in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese or English. She also understands Shanghainese and Hakkanese. "The writing is the same for most of them. It's just the tone (pronunciation) that is different," she says. "Language can shrink the distance between people. It sure does make a lot of difference."

It's the lunch hour in the large, white-linen-clad dining room, muted by mahogany wainscoting and upholstered chairs. Three generations of family, mothers with small children and businesspeople chat contentedly. In the evening, there will be college kids on dates. Chen zips from table to table. Besides being multilingual, she is multitasking. A phone is pressed between her shoulder and her ear while she wipes down a table. She delivers a heaping platter of fried fish to a family group with three young children. "I'm crazy about fish," exclaims one 7-year-old as she plucks a tender morsel from the platter with her chopsticks. "If the kids behave themselves, I give them a big compliment and their parents, too," Chen observes.

Chen never quite defines her job. It's beyond waitress, is not management and involves lots of people skills. "I like people—I couldn't stand being in an office," she muses, "but it's a very hard job. Some people are Type A, some Type B, C, D and E, and you have to deal with them all." Whatever her job title may be, she's entrusted with running the place while her bosses, owners Frank and Anita Hong of Cupertino, are on vacation. The Hongs bought the formerly Chinese restaurant a year ago. In addition, Anita owns her own pharmaceutical manufacturing company.

Formosa Restaurant is located at 1655 S. De Anza Blvd. at Prospect Road in Cupertino. It is open Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m.­2.30 p.m. and 5­9 p.m. Call 408.257.1120.