Today we’d like to introduce you to Edward Zhang
Hi Edward, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We started thinking about creating a food related business ages ago but had too much going on to actually consider it. Every time we had friends come over, they’d say things like, “Your place is the best restaurant in Minneapolis, it’s where I want to take all of my friends. When are you going to open something?”.
Last May, we started toying more with the idea and creating recipes. From there, after lots of trial and error, and feeding tons of baos to family and friends, we decided to actually start a business. Skip forward a few months, with the push of a last minute registration for the Minneapolis Gift & Art Expo, we went from licensing to launching in three weeks, and Bao Bao Buns went live at the beginning of November. We have been coming up with weekly wacky flavor drops for our baos and popping up all over the place ever since. Some of the fan favorite flavors have been Juicy Lucy, meat lovers pizza, biscuits and gravy, and Korean BBQ.
In addition to specializing in baos, we are now launching a tasting menu pop-up series at local spots such as 56 Brewing, Marigold Minneapolis and Picnic Linden Hills. It’s a fun opportunity to be able to collaborate with local businesses, showcase Chef Ed’s culinary skills and go on a journey with him as he explores combining his Eastern roots with Western cooking techniques.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a new business, we are continuously problem solving minute by minute and getting creative to achieve goals. One of our biggest challenges yet was dough formulation. We spent months tweaking and taste testing our recipe to get just the right bounce and flavor. Since the dough is such an important part of the baos, we knew that we wouldn’t be able to launch if it wasn’t spot on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in making Chinese bao buns in traditional and wacky flavors. We’re known for our weekly rotating bao menu which has featured a variety of flavors like pumpkin pie, honey glazed short ribs, pot roast and Japanese curry to name a few. We’re most proud of how far we have come in a short period of time. Last year at this time, Bao Bao Buns was just an idea. Since launching we have been featured in a variety of publications including Eater Twin Cities and the Star Tribune, and we just did our first restaurant takeover at Picnic Linden Hills. Our rotating menu of wacky flavors and meticulously crafted bao dough set us apart from others.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
We’ve done a lot of networking at our kitchen in Hopkins! Working with other like minded professionals in the same industry has been the best way to learn about how to navigate the culinary world. Not to mention that they are also wonderful people who we now call friends.
Pricing:
- Frozen bag of baos (2-3 meals/bag) – $18-20
Contact Info:
- Website: https://baobaobuns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybaobaobuns
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/whereismymarker/
