Starting out as a dumpling shop in Washington, DC during 2017, Laoban has successfully expanded its flagship frozen dumpling line via retail stores in the USA including Whole Foods Market, Costco, Sprouts and Erewhon. It is now expanding its range beyond dumplings with the launch of bao buns in select Whole Foods Market stores.
Bao buns are an ethnic Chinese specialty food featuring fluffy dough filled with savory or sweet stuffing. Laoban’s offerings were developed by Chef Tim Ma, who is the company’s co-founder, culinary director and a Michelin-recognized chef with a family background in Chinese restaurants.
The microwaveable Bao Buns line come in four-packs featuring a choice of three flavors, as described below:
• Chinese Style BBQ Pork: Berkshire pork seasoned with Chinese BBQ spices, an homage to the classic char siu bun.
• Spicy Beef: Grass-fed beef spiced with chili and cumin.
• Sesame Chicken: Free-range chicken, shiitake mushrooms and savory sesame.
“We’ve spent the last year working on the recipes to make sure we’re bringing the restaurant experience straight to one’s home kitchen. The final recipe gives me visceral memories of eating Bao buns as a child with my family, and I hope it evokes that same feeling for everyone who eats them,” said Chef Ma.
“Our buns tap into the two greatest reasons customers come to us — the unique combination of high-quality convenience and delectable flavor,” said Patrick Coyne, co-founder. “We want to change the way consumers think about the frozen aisle by making quality frozen food like our buns part of their routine.”
