Photo by John Bruno Turiano
One Bedford resident shares a beloved family dumpling recipe, one bite at a time, through his Dumplings for You concept.
The puffs of steam will be the first indication that you’re in the correct place. It is mesmerizing, watching the tufts and valleys of rolled dough come to life into a delicate bun, gingerly plopped into a pot to steam before your eyes. Popping up outside of local businesses like Ice Cream Social in White Plains and The Outpost in Bedford, Dumplings for Yu founder and Bedford resident Andrew Yu takes the freshness of his food very seriously — which is why watching a small army of dumplings and buns being made while you wait for your order is a common sight. “The food is handmade daily — you can taste the love and care as much as the freshness,” says Yu.
The recent Manhattan transplant and fashion designer didn’t anticipate his business would catch fire as quickly as it did. Yu began simply making dumplings out of his own kitchen for family and friends as an extension of celebration and culture. “It’s a family recipe and tradition from Taiwan, using farm-to-table ingredients and as many organic elements as possible,” says Yu. “I want to use good Asian food to bridge the cultural gap and bring fare that’s traditionally comfort food in Asia to the community.”
Now, you can find Yu’s pop-ups at businesses, festivals, and flash-in-the-pan brick-and-mortar stints across the county. And almost always donning an eye-catching, showstopping outfit, it will be hard to miss Yu or his dumplings. But where does the fashionista scale from here, after nearly selling out every event he attends? “After all of this testing, we will be able to plan the next phase of our endeavor,” he says. Fingers crossed that might include a full-service restaurant.
For pop-up announcements and updates, follow along at @DumplingsforYu on Instagram.
