EXCITING EVENTS IN SILICON VALLEY
EXCITING EVENTS IN SILICON VALLEY
By Gerrye Wong March 10, 2022
Ah finally our lives are opening up after a horrid two year plague of battling the delta and omicron covid illnesses. This past weekend was a flurry of activity to prove that people are willing to come out of their homes finally, to meet and greet old friends who also suffered pandemic penalty times. At long last the mandate has come forth to allow people to go mask-less inside of stores, churches, movie theatres and restaurants, so when I went out today it felt so good to be out in the world again.
My great outing today was to sample the foods I had heard were so popular in San Francisco locations …and it is now in the South Bay at San Jose Santana Row’s DUMPLING TIME. Omakase Restaurant Group’s DUMPLING TIME serves to lined up crowds at Chase Center in San Francisco and two other SF locations, so it was with much anticipation that Silicon Valley diners are also lining up for this new restaurant that captures the joy of Asian dumpling traditions as imagined through a California lens. Canvassing the menu via QR code, I saw the menu centers around handmade dim sum inspired by Chinese traditions and made with local California ingredients. As we gazed at the chefs preparing them through a glass wall, I saw being made fan-favorite items such as crispy Seafood, pork or chicken gyozas, pan-seared chicken or pork bao, shrimp har gow and Xi’an dumplings made from owner Kash Feng’s family recipe.
caption: DUMPLING TIME’S selection of haw gow and xiao long bao
The menu offerings are divided into 11 categories of different kinds of dishes, so with Manager Marcos Arriaga and server Nicole Bautista’s assistance, we decided to sample one from each as our eyes are definitely bigger than our stomachs! From Quick Bites section my cucumber with Fresno chili salad was the perfect savory starter for our meal. From the Siu Mai selections the Maine Lobster one filled with chives, butter and white truffle oil was delicious. Having a special affinity to Xiao Long Bao I ordered both offerings on the menu. The XLB with pork belly and shao hsing wine was good, but I found the Tom Yum pork belly with coconut milk and wrapped in beet skin not only attractive in its red skin, but very moist and tasty. For my healthy diet DNA I tried the garlicy green beans, which turned out to be one of my favorite dishes, paired with the spicy chicken with curry Southeast Fried Rice Noodles dish. The most attractive dish in presentation was the pan crisped dumpling gyoza with wagyu beef, cabbage, ginger, black truffle and shitake mushroom. It came with a fried red batter light topping covering the six dumplings to satisfy the eyes as well as the taste buds. Taking a break from all the foods in front of us, I tried the non alcoholic Koast Kambucha drink with its taste from lemon & ginger, beet & apple and raspberry – a refreshing drink to sit back and savor all the tastes served beforehand.
Caption: Manager Marcos Arriaga and Server Nicole Bautista described the many delicacies before us
Although Dumpling Time just arrived in San Jose last month, it turns five years old this year because it was in 2017 that Kash Feng, the owner of Omakase Restaurant Group, opened up the first Dumpling Time in the Design District of San Francisco. As Mike Haro, Director of Operations shared, “His goal was to create delicious dim sum using his mother’s recipes in a fun and fast casual atmosphere. No one else has Kash’s mom’s incredible recipes but seriously our dedication to the dumpling craft is serious and filled with hours of hard work and love. I love that we took Chinese staples like siu mai and gyoza dumplings and incorporated high end products like Maine Lobster Siu Mai and Wagyu Beef Gyoza.”
The site of Dumpling Time is set in front of a wide seating area surrounding a beautiful fountain with comfortable sofa chairs and benches for visitors just enjoying a relaxing time in Santana’s Row’s line up of designer shops and boutiques. Today was a typical California March day, free of wintry weather, and ablaze under a bright sun. What more could anyone ask for? – fine food, with the scene of people enjoying themselves walking around a beautiful outdoor shopping mecca. Before we tore ourselves away from even more menu selections, we finished with its sweet dessert bao of red, green and white coloring. Each has its own unique filling and just the perfect ending to enjoy with their jasmine loose leaf tea with its subtly sweet floral aroma.
Caption: Dessert sweet Bao came in a trio of colors
The design team, helmed by Aya Yamagisawa transformed the Santana Row location with a hip interior boasting of a glass walled dumpling room that offers the opportunity for diners to observe dumplings being made by hand. Additional glass elements, namely ribbed glass dividers between booths, create a m intimacy for guests while offering a stylish way to ensure safety in light of Covid-19. I loved dining in the generous patio area with well positioned lights, heaters and greenery which lends to this general feeling of a breezy,, urban oasis, it would seem. A dramatic mural by Tricia Choi gives the indoor dining area a playful injection of color and the sidewalk outdoor tables give a DUMPLING TIME diner a clear view of the Santana Row world passing by. Looking at the crowded tables near -by, I can clearly see this restaurant is a haven for young people who like the relaxed atmosphere of the indoor/outdoor restaurant while enjoying the casual feeling of being served tasty dishes.
Caption: Patsy Ja and Gerrye Wong faced a feast of Dumpling Time offerings
Check it out and learn more on the active social media sites so many diners have shared their feelings about the restaurant on. www.dumplingtime.com; When asked about the future plans of Dumpling Time, Haro added, “ We currently have four locations with two more on the way – 4th Street in Berkeley and Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. Our leadership goal is 16 total stores in the next four years.” Thanks Kash Feng for bringing your new Dumpling Time concept of casual dining to this highly competitive area filled with diversity of every type of restaurant imaginable.
HISTORIC MING QUONG HOME ARCH
Caption: Guest speakers MQ Home Alumnae Elena Wong Viscovich & Janet Chang
Following a year of difficult times due to pandemic delays in production and harsh wintry weather, the historic MING QUONG HOME restored arch with prominent sign was finally introduced and dedicated before a group of Los Gatos citizens and alumni women who once lived in this home for little Chinese girls.
caption: Elena Wong Viscovich and Gerrye Wong proudly view Memorial plaque
As Elena Wong Viscovich explained, the girls were brought to live in the loving atmosphere of this Presbyterian church missionary home due to many reasons. Contrary to earlier beliefs that these girls were former sex slaves or prostitutes rescued by Donaldina Cameron, a missionary working in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Elena set the facts straight and prepared a printed history of the Ming Quong Homes for audience members to take home. When the Los Gatos facility of the Ming Quong Home was opened in the 1930s, the girls were from either dysfunctional families, divorced situations, or products of families who were not able to care for their daughters for other reasons.
Caption: Ribbon cutting opens formally the MING QUONG ARCH
Janet Chang spoke of her life at the Ming Quong Home. She related that when being bullied at her schools, she would fight back physically so her parents felt she needed a stricter environment to get away from negative elements in her neighborhood. She credits the MQ Home from setting her on the right path to lead a productive life. She read a Haiku poem written by another fellow Ming Quong Home Alum Nona Wyman who grew up in the Los Gatos home from the early age of 3 years old.
Caption: Alumnae Dorothy Lai was welcomed by Los Gatos Mayor Rob Rennie
Another alumnae member of the Ming Quong Home at the Dedication ribbon cutting ceremony was Dorothy Lai, who was surprised to find herself in the photo chosen for the area’s plaque. Taken under the original archway probably in the 1930s, the photo showed a group of little girls gathered together with their teachers. Imagine Dorothy’s surprise to find her own image in the historic photo and her daughter recalled how excited her mother was to discover this photo of herself with her many friends at the home.
Caption: Restored Ming Quong Arch memorializes the Chinese American history of the MQ Home 1930-1950s
Joining in the ribbon cutting and dedication program was Los Gatos Mayor Rob Rennie and Vice Mayor Maris Ristow. They were joined by Los Gatos Council member Marico Sayoc. Pacific Clinics Executive Director Don Taylor and KCAT TV crew who interviewed the Ming Quong Home alumnae before the ceremony. Friends and family members were there to witness the arch’s restoration and I was happy to have my three generation family members join me in this happy time.
caption: My three generation family members Gerrye Wong, daughter Kelly and grandson Todd Matsuura
remember grandmother’s history as a Ming Quong Home resident.
My own involvement with this project began when I heard that the original wooden arch was in general disrepair and the original Ming Quong Home sign was missing. My mother had been a Ming Quong Home survivor when she was abandoned as a toddler and lived in the San Francisco and Oakland facilities during her youthful years. When we lived in San Jose during the 1940s, she would bring me to the Los Gatos facility when she visited her former housemates who later became teachers themselves to care for the little girls.
Caption: Chi Am Circle members feel a part of Chinese American history at the restored Ming Quong Arch
Feeling the resurrection of this historic arch was important to Chinese American history, I rallied a large group of donors who joined me in raising funds to have the arch restored and a beautiful bronze plaque erected telling the history of the Ming Quong Home and listing al of the donors making this restoration possible. If you’re in the Los Gatos area, come view the archway at the corner of Loma Alta and Cypress Avenues to remember a piece of Chinese American history where a home for Chinese girls was established when other homes discriminated against welcoming any Asian American little girls into their facilities.
