[1][2] In 1897, at the age of 8, he immigrated to California with his mother to join his father, Sai Yen Chew, who owned the Precita Canning Company in San Francisco.
[3] After the 1906 earthquake destroyed the family's cannery, Chew's father established the Bayside Canning Company, in Alviso at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, and brought his son into business with him.
[1] In addition to the canneries, Chew's business endeavors included over 8,000 acres of farm land in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which he ran as the "Thomas Foon Ranch Company".
[7] In September of 2023, Palo Alto city council reached a deal with the Sobrato Organization to redevelop the property for housing and a park but with 40% of the cannery building demolished despite protests by preservationists to the demolition.
The city council also indicated an interest in changing the name of Portage Drive, the adjacent road, to Thomas Foon Chew Avenue.