Dumpling Daughter owner brings family legacy to a new spot in Weston

Henry Santoro: Dumplings are one of the most universal foods around. Every culture has them, whether they are pierogies from Poland, ravioli from Italy, masa dumplings from Mexico, or the many different kinds of dumplings from Asia, which is where they were born during the Han dynasty. They’re all related because dumplings are pretty simple. They’re made of dough, and they’re made of filling, and that’s about it. The sauce you put on is up to you. 

Nobody knows dumplings like Nadia Liu Spellman, the owner and chef at Dumpling Daughter in Brookline, in Boston and in Weston. She is also the author of ”The Dumpling Daughter Cookbook.“ And, Nadia, welcome to Henry in the Hub and welcome back to GBH, because I know you’ve been on a number of shows here already.

Nadia Liu Spellman: Thank you. I love it here. I love doing shows at GBH. Thank you for having me.

Santoro: You had the pleasure of growing up in a house surrounded by incredible food and incredible people. Your mom, Sally Ling, owned the five-star Boston restaurant Sally Ling’s. How old were you when she opened it?

Spellman: I was 2 years old when my parents opened Sally Ling’s, and restaurants are the earliest memories of my childhood.

Santoro: Were you able to — did they bring you into the restaurant as a kid? Like, could you run around the restaurant as a little kid?

Spellman: Yes, but they taught me not to run around. But once there were too many courses, we would eat multi-course meals, up to 12 courses of Chinese banquet food. We started running around. So, they said, ”Go into the kitchen“ or ”Go into the office.“

Santoro: And you’re on record as saying the happiest memories of your childhood were around the table. What made those memories so special?

Spellman: It wasn’t just the food — because I love food — it was the company. It was being around my parents, and all the senses were just on fire. The aroma, the sounds of the wok at home. The sounds of my family chatting, sitting down. Each person having their own plate and their own bowl of rice. And no matter if it was at home, or at Sally Ling’s, or at my grandmother’s house for dumplings, no matter what the food, it was the whole combination that was so touching and memorable.

And that’s why I think, as I got older, my happiest moments were those moments that we were about to get around the table and enjoy together.

Santoro: And did they entertain at home?

Spellman: Yes. My parents would always have my aunt and uncle, Rick and Wilma Chang, who owned Wei Liu’s Restaurant at the time.

And we were a restaurant family. And everyone loved to eat and drink. And the women would help prepare and serve the meal. There would be a kids’ table with my cousins and the adults’ table in the formal dining room. And after dinner, the men would go downstairs and play mahjong, and the kids would play, and the women would be in the TV room or the living room — and it was a full house.

And if it was at home or if it was at Sally Ling’s, we were always together as a family, the kids running around. And I liked it most at home when my mom entertained, or when we went to my grandmother’s house.

Santoro: And those games of mahjong would last well into the night, wouldn’t they?

Spellman: Yes. You’d fall asleep to the tiles and the men laughing, and sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night and they’re still there.

Santoro: You have three Dumpling Daughter locations: Brookline; Boston; and Weston, which was the first one. And you have something to share with us because those aren’t the only restaurants that you have.

Spellman: Yes. I want people to know that my heart and the expression of my insides is Dumpling Daughter. Everything I’ve done with Dumpling Daughter has been expression of my love for food and hospitality and continuing in my parents’ legacy, and that’s my main goal.

And I remember very clearly growing up that my father had always wanted a restaurant in Weston, and he said that he and my mother had restaurants in Boston, Cambridge and Newton. But what he really wanted was a small takeout shop, an extension of Sally Ling’s and Newton Center. And so, he spoke with the landlord back in 1986, and the landlord at the time already gave that location to the Bruegger’s Bagels. So, I grew up going to Bruegger’s Bagels in Weston Center.

When my dad passed away in 2009, I wrote this business plan ... and I thought about his teachings and how my parents gifted me with advice. And I remember my father wanted that restaurant in Weston.

And when I was looking for locations for my business plan, I went back to Weston because I saw an empty space there. And I am so happy that I did that. It is really an heirloom that my father passed down this restaurant idea to me to open in Weston. And when I told my mom that I was going to sign a lease in Weston, she said, ”I think that’s a great idea.“ So, it’s like I had approval from both parents.

In 2020, my landlord — the same one that my dad knew — he came to me and said, “Breugger’s Bagels is no longer going to be here. And would you be interested in taking the space that your father wanted?” And I couldn’t say no, because I said, “If that’s what he wanted.”

And that’s what led me to Weston and has proven to be a successful place for Dumpling Daughter. And I asked him, “what can I do for you in this space?” And he said, “I want scones and coffee.” And I said, “OK, we’ll figure it out.”

And so, we opened Heirloom in Weston as kind of a passion project and a gift to the town. And I don’t talk about it much because I like to focus on Dumpling Daughter. But Heirloom is a very special place for us.

And as much as my mom told me not to go into business with my husband, he’s been my number-one supporter since we were in seventh grade, and he’s a cheerleader, and he was there for me through the thick and thin of opening Dumpling Daughter. And so, it’s purely, a pleasure and a passion.

Santoro: And where did the name Dumpling Daughter come from?

Spellman: The mission of Dumpling Daughter is to share dumplings with as many people as I can. But secondly, it celebrates what my parents started, which is this beautiful high end restaurant concept, a five-star establishment, and they really left a legacy in Boston. I think at one point there were 39 restaurants opened in Boston because of the staff that worked at Sally Lings. And so, my parents always felt that it’s an incredible opportunity to create jobs and to help other families and to see other people blossom as immigrants. And they really encouraged that. And they coached their employees, too, and they never felt like when people move on, it’s a bad thing. They were proud. And so, I saw that as an example, and I wanted to carry on the tradition. And that’s where Dumpling Daughter comes from. The need to express that I am somebody’s daughter, and somebody that I really respect. And, so when you ask what’s Dumpling Daughter? Well, it’s Sally Ling’s daughter’s dumpling shop.

Santoro: And there are three restaurants and you’ve also written the Dumpling Daughter cookbook, with recipes from your mom, your parent’s restaurant, and there’s also a frozen food line, and that business is a whole different ballgame.

Spellman: Yes. Restaurants were something that I felt comfortable with. My parents raised me like that and without a restaurant, I felt like I was missing something in my life. The frozen product line is a whole new industry that I saw a need for back in 2002, and I spoke with my father about it even back then. We saw that Americans couldn’t just grab dumplings from the freezer section and enjoy them at home the way that we could. And even then, there was very few brands in the Asian market, but I really wanted people to access dumplings easily because it’s a very quick and easy, clean, and delicious snack. It’s like boiling pasta, right? And I think that everyone should be able to have them and not just a Chinese child, right? I was lucky.

Henry Santoro: Finally, Nadia, if you and I were single and we were going on a date to Dumpling Daughter, I’m going to let you order. What are we having?

Nadia Liu Spellman: Well, every meal should be balanced in the Chinese culture, so I always have some vegetables. Are you in the mood for naughty Brussels sprouts? Because they’re crispy and there’s oil. Or do you want something light and healthy, like baby bok choy?

I always have to have some kind of dumpling, and I either have a crispy one or a steamed one and then one with sauce or without sauce, and I usually get two.

And then I always like my mom’s spring rolls because those are classic.

And I really like having another kind of order appetizer. So, the scallion pancake with beef shank rolled up with plum sauce is one of my favorites.

And you always have to have a noodle. So, I’ll either get my grandmother’s Beijing meat sauce with noodles, or lo mein.

And then finally, you know, we’re —

Santoro: We’re definitely going on the second date.

Spellman: There are many dishes that you have to have on the table, and then Dumpling Daughter heats up so nicely. So, when we have leftovers, if there’s a second date, we’ll have them together!

Spellman: That sounds like a phenomenal meal. Nadia Lou Spellman is the owner of Dumpling Daughter. The restaurants, the cookbook, the frozen food line. And as they say, you win some, you dim sum.

Spellman: That’s cute.

Santoro: Nadia, thank you so much for coming in.