Today we’d like to introduce you to Chih Lin and Michael Dorsey.
Chih and Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We began with a leap of faith into a world we knew little about. Not to say we didn’t know dumplings, we worked in corporate America for the past 15 years. Climbing the corporate ladder was a thrill ride. Overcoming challenges and making lasting impacts to our companies led us to great heights and taught us many valuable lessons about ourselves. However, we were so busy building dreams for others, we forgot how to dream ourselves. We were comfortable, but we weren’t fulfilled. We wanted more out of life, and we were willing to risk it all to follow our dreams and pursue our passions. On April 1st, 2019, we did it! We both quit our jobs and DumplingDudez™ was born.
“So, why dumplings?” Many people have asked us the same question.
We met at the beginning of 2007. When we met each other’s friends for the first time we hosted a dumpling making party. For those who don’t know what that is, our friends and family would come together and bring their favorite fillings to be turned into dumplings…for eating…and if you were lucky enough there would be some to take home.
It has been 12 years now since that party, and the feelings are still the same. Hosting parties has allowed us to grow and teach others, keeping us connected with friends and family. Each party we have hosted has been an opportunity for creativity. Not only in the way we fold dumplings, but also in the recipes we developed. Even though our dumplings may not have looked very pretty in the beginning, we now have a sense of pride in our creations. Creating these stories and sharing these experiences is what DumplingDudez is all about.
We don’t know where this journey will take us, but we want you to be apart of our story as we bring the ultimate dumpling experience to you.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a new start-up, we are facing different challenges every day. We know this journey is not going to be easy, but we are very lucky to have people who supported our dream from day one. We met so many great people on this amazing journey and we love sharing our experiences with like-minded entrepreneurs who share the same vision about helping each other to succeed.
The biggest challenge we are facing is actually our own self-doubts. There are days we feel like superheroes and ready to concur the world; However, there are also days we feel self-defeated and not sure if we are on the right path. It’s terrifying sometimes not knowing if we make the right decisions, and we are not sure if that feeling will ever go away. Thankfully, we believe that if we stay true to ourselves, to our core values, and to our visions, the right opportunities will come.
We came to realize that there are more lessons to be learned, and the tough days are the ones that make us stronger and wiser. As a Pop-&-Pop business, we expect that some of the doors will be close to us, simply because of who we are. What we didn’t expect is that for every one door that closes on us, there are new doors that open as long as we keep believing in ourselves.
Please tell us about Dumpling Dudez.
We are in the business of creating the most fun, unique and memorable dumpling making experience.
We took an out of the box approach by focusing on the art of making dumplings. A colorful and social experience that celebrates the individuality and creativity of the foodies in us.
Our classes take each student through the dough making process. Each student has the opportunity to make any color of the rainbow, plus some others. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Black or White).
The second phase of our class teaches how to roll out a dumpling wrapper by hand. We also teach how to mix the colors of dough to create different effects with the dough (i.e., marbling and more). We also tailor our fillings for the season, and for most dietary requirements/ sensitivities such as; Traditional pork (Tradish Delish), Bacon Cheese Burger and Holiday flavors like Turpumpkin (Turkey Pumpkin with holiday spices)
Phase three of the class is where we show our classes how to cook and garnish their dumplings.
We are most proud of our students. The creativity we have seen continues to inspire us and keep us on our toes. We are always trying new folds, and recipes to keep up with trends and to provide the best experience for our classes.
We consider ourselves as an ” Experience Start-UP” not a “Food Start-up”. Our focus is to bring people together through a shared activity (Contentedness), then supply those individuals/ groups with the tools to create and be expressive (Creativity), and finally to see and document the sense of pride in their personal creations (Pride). These are the three Hall Marks of a Dumpling Dudez Cooking Experience. The delicious dumplings just so happened to be the by-product of a great experience.
We are experienced makers and storytellers. Each Dumpling Experience comes with a memorable story, either its a team building event, birthday, Kid’s bday, girls night out, and most recently a surprise engagement proposal. There is really only one secret ingredient in our class – “Fun” The dumpling colors and ingredients can change from month to month, but the “Fun” will always be there with new stories and memories to create.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Great Questions. The answer is simple – To start our business sooner.
There is really no good time to start a new business. It took us 15 years to have the courage to follow our dream. Life is too short to wait for the right moment. The right time is NOW.
Pricing:
- Cost $69.99/person
Contact Info:
- Website: DumplingDudez.com
- Phone: (512)-632-8786
- Email: DumplingDudez@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dumplingdudez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dumplingdudez/
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