Exploring Life & Business with Pei Yen Chen of bling bling dumpling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pei Yen Chen.

Hi Pei Yen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
bling bling was originally co-founded circa 2010 by Pei-Yen Chen, Cindy Pao and Xtina (Christina) Webb, when we were all inspired by handmade street food while on a trip back to their home-city Taipei (Pei and Cindy’s), and we started hosting “dumpling parties” using Pei’s grandma’s recipes, adding in vegetarian options and side dishes. This was an instant hit with friends and we started getting requests for other parties, friends’ work events and to bring “lunch boxes” to coworkers at our day jobs. We tested recipes and what is now our legendary bling sauce. The idea was basically to remix Taiwanese comfort foods using inventive flavorings. As catering life grew we added another legendary item – our bling dim sum cart! We had amazing mentoring with catering and a good time being a part of our LA Queer, Art and music community.

Next we started selling frozen dumplings and fresh bottled bling sauce, and it was while doing weekly farmer’s markets that we were “discovered” and invited to serve at the 2013 “Big Top” festival at what is now the LA State Historic Park. The organizers convinced us to take on our first Coachella, we couldn’t say no, and our lives would never be the same! We gained “fame” and an enthused following at California and Vegas festival super hits like Coachella, Bottle Rock, and Life Is Beautiful, among others. Currently, bling bling is only Pei Yen and Xtina. We focus on catering and select public events, and have launched a second asian food concept called hot noods la. We have been profiled in various media, and we were honored with an award by the California LGBT Caucus as a Queer business making a difference.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like so many people and businesses, our biggest struggle was during the pandemic. It wasn’t just the shutdown on food, events, and arts industries that was hard, but a deep emotional toll. Events we depend on were canceled. Staff—many like family—had to be let go. We also experienced personal loss in our immediate families. As hard and strange all of this was, it was the experience of pivoting afterward that has been surprisingly challenging. Nothing is the same within yourself or the world, so there is no formula or clear path to picking back up. This is really true of having a business in LA in any case, it is the wild west of trends and competitive commerce another obstacle for us that is ongoing. We are fortunate to be part of an amazing entrepreneurial community and supported by a following, but we rely on sales rather than investor backing, unlike many in the greater LA area. So not a smooth road, but these obstacles continue to shape the creativity in how we approach our food, our business concepts, and our lives. It hasn’t been easy, and honestly, it still isn’t, but we know we love bling bling too much to leave it behind! This is how we have become a catering + virtual menu kitchen.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in handmade Taiwanese foods, including classic and fusion dumplings, noodles, and small eats, operating more like a family than simply a business. We’d like to think our identity and social experiences set us apart, and so does our approach to collaborations and staffing. Throughout our life with bling bling, we have primarily hired and trained younger folks in need of job training and mentorship. We’re also known as California’s only mobile concept/caterer with mobile dim sum carts!
We are super proud of building a business from the ground up, and what we’re most proud of is discovering our own resilience as we have made a comeback post-pandemic. We are proud of the way a supportive food “family” stays in our lives, and more so than ever at our current kitchen location, where we work alongside amazing food concepts created by other immigrants—an amazing support system. It is here we connected with Wanlapha Malai, who is bringing her star chef craft into our current collaboration hot noods LA. This is a Thai + Chinese menu concept that leans into authenticity and culinary beauty. We thrive the most when collaborating with others, learning new things, and evolving how we do the things, and hot noods is all of that!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was in fifth grade, a group of about 15 of us—kids of different ages and all backgrounds—would ride bikes together after school. As a first-generation immigrant with parents who were always working, I had a lot of freedom. There was no internet or after-school resources, so we had a unique sense of life and “what can I do?” This gave us a different kind of creativity. We wanted pizza and didn’t have any cash, so we started brainstorming ways to make a little money, and started with a car wash. I took the lead and named us The Bike Patrol Club and had a book of everyone’s names with roles, the money we made and what we did. I remember asking to use the neighborhood pool’s clubhouse so we could host a pizza parties. Looking back, it was learning how to create something out of nothing and make our own atmosphere of fun. It was scrappy and imaginative, entrepreneurial and fun, and now I realize the seed of what I do now. It all started with friends, food, cooperation, and our shared question: “We just want to eat, what can we do for ourselves, together?”, just like bling bling dumpling!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blingblingdumpling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blingblingdumpling
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blingblingdumpling
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bling-bling-dumpling-los-angeles-4

Image Credits
image credits: Xtina Webb, Pei Yen Chen, Hailey Ayson