What were your favorite foods growing up?
Ice cream sandwiches and of course dumplings.

When did you decide you wanted to open a food truck?
We opened our first store on 23rd street in 2005 and we decided to open a food truck in 2008 when the economy took a turn for the worse but we wanted to continue to grow.

Where and when did your career in food begin?
My first job was with Drew Nieporent at the Myriad Restaurant Group.

If you didn't own a food truck, what would you be?
A professional karaoke singer or an international Boggle champion.

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
My palate, I cook things I love to eat.

How would you describe your cuisine?
Authentic but also accessible. We use authentic ingredients in each dumpling but the flavors appeal to a wide audience. For example, our chicken and Thai basil dumpling uses fresh Thai basil, lemongrass as well as other ingredients you would find in South East Asia, but the flavors are sweet, fresh, and herbaceous.

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your truck?
We serve an abbreviated version of our restaurant menu on the truck. We keep it simple and fresh. Being on a truck really limits you in terms of fire power and storage so we do the best hits from the store; the pork and Chinese chive, the chicken and Thai basil and the vegetarian edamame dumplings, with a few sides. The space and our customers' desire for speedy service really influence what we can do on the truck.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
An iron skillet and a sharp 8 inch chef's knife.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
Bacon, but it's no secret!

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Give great service not just to customers but also to your coworkers. Set each other up well for the next shift in such a way that you would be psyched to show up to your shift and to communicate.

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks?
You gotta be in it to win it.


What was your worst restaurant/truck disaster?
A lovely couple had rented out the dumpling truck for a wedding and on our way there the front axle broke on the truck right before it crossed the Manhattan Bridge! We got it towed into place and served with a broken axle— we dealt with the fix after! That was super stressful!


When you are not eating at your own truck, where are you eating?
I am eating in my neighborhood, the East Village. I am so lucky to live there because any night of the week I can go out and drop under $20 to get a fantastic meal that people travel to my neighborhood to eat.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Get a big picture of what the meal should look like and taste like and instead of using specific measurements, do it by taste, in that way you will develop a more natural approach to cooking.

What do you eat when you are home?
I eat a lot of fruit. Late summer is the best with the peaches, plums, and watermelon.