After experiencing a life-altering wake up call, Roya Shadravan had an epiphany. She realized that life was short, and that she wanted to follow her lifelong passion for cooking. Seizing the moment, she quit her job as a Hong Kong-based journalist for CNN and convinced her partner, Kristy Lam, to do the same. Realizing the challenge of finding good-tasting and healthy international food, Kristy and Roya, who met while living in Hong Kong, decided to start their own dumpling company. Drawing strength and inspiration from the legendary-Chinese warrioress, they dubbed their new company Mulan Dumpling.
Mulan Dumpling is a DC-based dumpling company, founded by Roya Shadravan and Kristy Lam. Living and traveling in various countries around the world, the two women see food as more than just, well, food. They see it as a way to break down barriers between people, “[Food] tells a lot about that culture; it helps break the language barrier to bring people together.” It’s for this reason that Mulan Dumpling places such a high premium on quality. Using fresh ingredients and antibiotics-free meat, Mulan Dumpling hopes that people will reflect how the food we eat impacts our world.
The story of Mulan Dumpling begins on a rather frightening note. In 2016, co-owner Roya Shadravan found out she had a brain tumor. Doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor. Nevertheless, the experience had left Roya shaken. She and Kristy became much more cognizant of food and the difficulties of finding good, healthy food options. The two women decided to leave their established careers and enter the world of food. Then, they founded Mulan Dumpling and everything was great, right? Well, not quite. A lot of mistakes were made along the way.
There was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. “We started small with a food truck first. I remember our first day was a disaster, orders were all over the place, customers were complaining about waiting too long to get their food...” Nevertheless, like the legendary Mulan, they didn’t give up. Learning from their mistakes, the two women got better and so did their business. After seeing how much people loved their dumplings, they decided to launch a packaged version that people could take home with them. They joined Union Kitchen and the rest is history!
The three new flavors of dumplings: Pork & Cabbage, Shrimp & Chives, and Curry Chicken, are now available on their website and in Union Kitchen stores.
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