When Sophia Xiao started Cute Dumplings LLC in April of 2021, she had no idea how much her small business would grow in just five short months. She currently sells at four Washington farmers markets, including Capitol Hill Farmers Market every Sunday from 11am – 3pm, and is getting ready to open a restaurant in the Pangborn airport.  

She moved to the United States six years ago and recently moved to Seattle to be close to her daughter who is in the Navy based in Seattle. She spent a few years working in Chinese restaurants before starting her own small business. It has always been her dream to open a dumpling and bao restaurant because she loves cooking, and loves getting to see people enjoy her food. 

Sophia and her small team of seven employees make all of their dumplings and buns (also called bao) by hand, every step of the way, from the filling to the folding of the dumplings. She grew up in China and learned how to make dumplings where they are traditionally featured on special occasions, like New Years.  

Although her recipes are based on traditional Chinese recipes like pork and cabbage dumplings, Sophia creates fillings like teriyaki chicken and beef for the Cute Dumplings menu. She says that in China, people mainly eat pork dumplings, but her American customers like the variety of options.  

The buns are the most difficult to make because Sophia and her team have to be extremely mindful of how much time is given for each step, from prepping the filling, to making the dough, to putting it all together. She says that if they are one or two minutes off at any step, it can mess up the entire process and the buns must be discarded.  

Even though she has been successful, Cute Dumplings’ journey hasn’t always been easy. COVID-19-related worker shortages have made it difficult for Sophia to find employees. Also, making all of the dumplings from scratch can be incredibly tedious and time consuming.  

The process of making the dumplings by hand, instead of with a machine, allows them to get super stretchy and become so thin that you can see the filling inside, yet the dumplings will not tear when boiled before eating. It’s worth the extra time it takes, because you can taste the difference. Try for yourself at Capitol Hill Farmers Market, every Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm!