On Tuesday, May 10, 2022 the South Bay Yelp Elite Squad kicked off Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with an event at Dumpling Time’s newest location in Santana Row. The evening began with drinks including beer, bubbly, wine, and Dumpling Time’s signature cocktail, the Five-O, their take on an old fashioned. This specialty drink, made with Maker’s Mark and bitters, featured the unique twist and addition of Chinese five spice turbinado.
Had the Five-O cocktail which was an Asian twist on a classic old fashioned with a hint of five spice – a little comes a long way when it comes to star anise cloves and fennel seed however they did it just right.
Yelp Elite Linda N
As the drinks flowed, the Elites took part in an ice breaker and began the hunt to find the Yelper whose profile badge they had on their lanyard. While some had an easier time than others, everyone enjoyed the game and opportunity to make new Elite Squad friends in the process.
When the buffet rolled out, the Elite Squad was treated to a variety of small bites and dim sum, including shrimp toast, crispy spring rolls, pork baos, and shrimp and pork siu mai, to name a few.
To wrap up the event, the Dumpling Time team came out to speak with the Elite Squad. They shared the story of how Dumpling Time was created by Kash Feng with a goal to recreate delicious dim sum using his mother’s recipes.
About Dumpling Time– “Dumpling Time turns five this year! In 2017, Kash Feng, our Owner and CEO of Omakase Restaurant Group, opened up our first Dumpling Time in the Design District of San Francisco. His goal was to create delicious dim sum using his mother’s recipes in a fun and fast casual atmosphere. Since then we have opened a total of four, two more in San Francisco and one at Santana Row in San Jose.
CEO and Co-Founder, Kash Feng, was born and raised in Xi’an China, moving to San Francisco by himself when he was 18 years old. His career as a restauranteur began as a dishwasher, speaking little to no English and slowly working his way up the ranks with his tenacity and determination. His endeavors range from the elegant Michelin-star sushi restaurant, Omakase, to fast-casual dim sum spot, Dumpling time, to Michelin-star American steakhouse with Japanese nuances, Niku Steakhouse, all united in their dedication to showcasing Asian cuisine and culture interpreted through a distinct California lens.
No one else has Kash’s mom’s incredible recipes! But seriously, our dedication to the dumpling craft is serious and filled with hours of hard work and love. Also in terms of uniqueness, I love that we took Chinese staples like Siu Mai and Gyoza dumplings and incorporated higher end products like Maine Lobster Siu Mai and Wagyu Beef Gyozas. They are always show stoppers.” – Mike Haro, Ops Manager
