By Ramin Ganeshram, The New York Times During the Lunar New Year of 1988, Selena Wong wanted to create a special dessert for her family in Kingston, Jamaica. Wong, whose ancestors came to the island from China in the 19th century, was a self-taught baker who occasionally sold goods from her home. Knowing the importance of lychees to the Chinese Jamaican experience, she made a light sponge cake that featured the canned lychees and their syrup.