MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — During the pandemic, husband and wife Peter Bian and Linda Cao missed "really good dumplings." While many restaurants were still closed or open indoors at half-capacity, the couple craved their family's cooking.
"Typically we go home and my parents make dumplings. So we thought, let's just make it ourselves. Took a couple of recipes and pointers from my mom and... it turned out great," Bian said.
Soon they were packing up their leftover dumplings and sending them out as care packages to friends. Those friends then encouraged them to sell their homemade dumplings.
What started out at the couple's condo in Minneapolis in 2021, turned into a frozen dumpling company now run out of Dots Gray Kitchen. Saturday Dumpling Co. offers a wide variety of frozen dumplings, along with other items including wontons and chicken broth.
"We also sell hot food out of our commissary kitchen here in north Minneapolis," Bian said. "Right now, we're running scallion pancake burritos that are really popular."
Here's how it works: New inventory goes up online to order starting every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Then on Saturdays between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., customers pick up their orders from Dots Gray. Also during that window, pre-ordered hot food can be eaten there or elsewhere. Items often sell out online so it's best to order early.
"It's amazing sharing our kind of childhood passion for dumplings," Bian said.
They use Bian's mom's recipes as inspiration. It was during Chinese New Year that the couple started sharing their idea with family.
Lunar New Year falls on February 10, entering the Year of the Dragon. It marks a new year based on the lunisolar calendar. While it's the most important holiday in China, it's also celebrated by many other Asian cultures.
"Usually Chinese New Year, back in China, it's like the country shuts down for a month. So growing up... we had fond memories of visiting my grandparents and eating a bunch of food, obviously. But here, where we have limited extended family, it's really come down to spending it with our closest loved ones," Bian said.
Dumplings represent prosperity, wealth and health.
"People are looking for that kind of communal thing to share with people," Bian said.
Saturday Dumpling Co. is having a busy week. On top of preparing dumplings for celebrations, they are launching in retail stores for the first time. Their signature flavors are set to hit the shelves of the Wedge Community Co-ops in Linden Hills and Lyndale. Bian said they are hoping they'll be available by Friday.
"We're super excited," Bian said.
Bian and Cao also have dreams of one day opening their own storefront.
You can order Saturday Dumpling Co., here. Saturday pickup happens at Dots Gray Kitchen at 208 N 29th Ave. in Minneapolis.