Her Story 故事
Born in Shanghai, China and grew up in the sunny city of Honolulu, Hawaii, Britney “Dumpling Queen” Wang always had a love for food.
Growing up in Hawaii I would often find myself craving the food I missed in Shanghai, especially grandmother’s. Because Hawai’i has a limited variety of Chinese Cuisine, as a kid I would constantly find myself in the kitchen trying to bring these beloved dishes back to life. It made me feel closer to my 2nd home that I missed so much. From helping my mom make wontons to selling homemade almond cookies in my friend’s family’s tiny food booth, it slowly became apparent that this was not just a hobby.
In 2016, I moved to Los Angeles, CA for work as a finance analyst. Despite my mom’s disapproval and pressure for me to continue on a “secure” path, you just can’t keep a girl away from what she was meant to be.
This started as a crazy journey of wins and fails, but it definitely didn’t go in vain. With my unique experiences and background, I was able to take what learned in business and current passion and took the leap as an entrepreneur and chef!
I started my journey by creating a dumpling instagram, hosting FREE dumpling making classes, then got a job as a line cook, selling dumplings from home, and the rest was history.
I want to show not only through dumpling classes but with food as well that WE are more similar than different.
My mission is to build a global community where people can eat, create, and share experiences through food… one dumpling at a time.
Who is BaoBae?
The BaoBae is whoever + whatever you want it to be. It can be your mom, sister, your grandmother or your boo. Translated from Chinese, 宝贝 (bǎo bèi) is a treasured object, darling, baby. Ironically, it has a similar meaning in English.
It’s someone or something that’s close to your heart. Something that you created, either it be a dumpling or food, it’s something you love. Food is meant to be shared. A sharing of our heart’s with each other.
Why Dumplings?
Dumpling making is traditional Chinese family+community activity. Every Chinese New Year, people flock back to their hometowns to celebrate the new year with their families by eating wonderful foods and making dumplings! Dumpling making is a tradition that is passed down from generations where moms teach their kids how to properly wrap dumplings. A family bonding activity that both kids and grandparents are all a part of.
Dumpling making is usually a team effort because of it’s time consuming process. With a team, dumpling making is both fun and rewarding on the stomach and heart!
A dumpling is just not any food but it’s a dish that represents community, humanity, sharing and love.