February 22, 2022
The Dumpling Lady parks at Resident Culture
One of Charlotte’s best food trucks is now available daily
The Dumpling Lady is parked in residency at Resident Culture Brewing’s Plaza Midwood location. Kristen Wile/UP
When Amanda McLamb, co-owner of Resident Culture Brewing, first moved to Charlotte, she craved the comfort of familiar cuisine as she adjusted to life in her new city. She found that comfort in the offerings of Zhang Qian and her Dumpling Lady food truck, whose dumplings and noodles helped ease the loneliness that often accompanies moving to a new place.
“I was searching to find food experiences that reminded me of home, and authentic Chinese food is a comfort food for me,” McLamb says. “Qian’s cooking was one of the only dishes I tried for a few years that fully captured the spices and flavors of my family’s cooking and my time spent living in China.”
When McLamb and her business partners, her husband Phillip McLamb and Chris Tropeano, opened Resident Culture Brewing’s first location in Plaza Midwood, she called Qian and asked her to be their first Friday guest food truck. From there, Resident Culture and its food truck family grew, with the brewery’s Food Truck Fridays becoming a popular weekend kickoff. Now, The Dumpling Lady is becoming a permanent fixture at Resident Culture with a residency on site.
“We owe a lot of our truck growth to Resident Culture,” says Qian. “It was a great situation when they were opening up and we were finding our footing. We drove our truck there every Friday rain or shine, business or not, for two years. We’ve known and respected Phillip and Amanda for a few years now, and we’re happy to be part of it. We’ve always looked at them as a partner, and we feel like this is a great next-step progression.”
The food truck is parked alongside the brewery’s covered upper patio, selling its popular dumplings seven days a week. From its current position, the truck can’t easily be moved, so The Dumpling Lady won’t be traveling elsewhere. Food Truck Fridays, where the brewery brings a variety of food trucks to its parking lot, will continue.
“We have been so fortunate to work with a large range of incredibly talented, hardworking food trucks during the four years we have been open — The Dumpling Lady being one of the very first,” McLamb says. “Ultimately, what we are looking for in our relationships with our partners, our community, and our own team, is to create a remarkable experience together for anyone who walks through our doors. Getting to do that with one food partner allows us to do so much more collaborative work.”
While food preparations will continue to take place on the truck, Resident Culture has adjusted its dishwashing capability and made a few other small adjustments to support The Dumpling Lady’s daily presence. At Resident Culture’s new location in South End, the taproom opened with a small kitchen window where chef Hector Gonzalez of El Toro Bruto, formerly Chilito, opened a taco shop. The idea of chefs opening shop in breweries is growing in Charlotte; chef Michael Bowling of The Hot Box, for example, partnered with Southern Strain Brewing to move from food truck to brick-and-mortar. The partnerships enable craft breweries to serve craft food without having to manage the kitchen themselves.
“I hope that every business, especially in food and beverage, will continue to strive to do what they do best and also either hire or partner with others in the industry who are more experienced in their fields of expertise,” McLamb says. “The Charlotte food and beverage scene has evolved so significantly over the 8 beautiful years I have spent in this city. I can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
While The Dumpling Lady food truck is currently serving the dishes it became known for — dumplings — Qian says they will slowly begin adding menu items to the food truck.
