Hello all!

Next up in our Big Four Dim Sum Series is the Char Siu Bao Bun. These pillowy delicacies are traditionally filled with sweet and savory BBQ pork tenderloin. While this bao bun originated in Guangzhou, there are numerous styles ranging all across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. In this workshop, we intend to guide you through the traditional, Cantonese-style recipe. Any questions and tips you have along the way will be answered by your host, Susan Qin, creator of the Chinese Street Market.

In addition to taking home some new knowledge for this holiday season, you will also receive a curated meal to enjoy while you craft your bao buns. If you have an allergen or food restriction please inform us before the class so then we can accommodate you! Please choose from the following items listed:

Meal option 1:

- Chinese Crispy Crepe with Honey Spiced Chicken (Tianjin Street Food)

- Pork Belly Sticky Rice Shumai (Shanghai Street Food) ( 2 pcs )

- Traditional Cantonese Style Asian Red Bean Paste & Barley Drink (V) 老广豆沙冰

Meal option 2 :

- Chinese Crispy Crepe with Five Spiced Tofu (Tianjin Street Food) (V)

- Shiitake Mushroom Sticky Rice Shumai ( 2 pcs ) (V)

- Traditional Cantonese Style Asian Red Bean Paste & Barley Drink (V) 老广豆沙冰

About the Instructor:

Susan Qin is the founder and cultural curator of Chinese Street Market DC, a collaborative platform that showcases Chinese culture through traditional, regional Chinese food recipes, and works to build a community of local Asian talent and creators.

Susan was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan. Her family belongs to the Buoyi minority group in China. While receiving her education at a foreign-language boarding school, she also developed a passion for Ancient Chinese Literature at a young age. The ancient Chinese culture and philosophy so elegantly expressed in her books were a formative inspiration. Eventually, Susan moved to the U.S. as a teenager and spent her adult life in New York City and Washington, D.C., earning a degree in Economics and building a professional career in the financial services industry.

Susan’s unique experiences growing up with both Eastern and Western cultural experiences expanded her worldview, and she often found herself acting as a cultural ambassador, de-mystifying aspects of Chinese culture for friends and acquaintances. This led Susan to build a community for people to share their Chinese culture with anyone who has a passion for learning more, with food as a lens for connection. Today, the Chinese Street Market DC can be found at Farmer’s Markets throughout the DC area and hosting educational cultural events. The food she serves often incorporates produce from her fellow farmer's market vendors, which allows CSMDC to root diasporic food stories in freshness, sustainability, and the Mid-Atlantic food system. She is known at the local farmer's markets as the Senior Dumpling Consultant.

About Chinese Street Market:

The Chinese Street Market DC community is a place to share your nostalgic food memories or pursue your cultural passion. We strive to serve as trustworthy connectors for food and culture, removing language barriers for better cultural understanding.

The DC area is rich with a multi-generational East Asian diaspora, and starting with Chinese sub-cultures, we work to introduce all East Asian food makers to a larger audience. Our goal is to help tell their stories within the context of their traditions and traditional multi-generational recipes. We do this by showcasing their stories on our online platform and offline through food popups and events.

The inaugural street market, held in September 2019, was a special event that drew over 3,000 visitors to Downtown DC in just one afternoon. In 2021, Chinese Street Market DC was voted by Washington City Paper's Best of DC poll as the runner-up for Best-At-Home-Meals, coming in just after a Michelin-rated restaurant. Today, you can enjoy this unique cultural experience by joining our online community or through our in-person popups at local farmer's markets and special events. Join us in learning, connecting, sharing, and preserving this cultural experience and community.