Wrapping up NYC’s 2016 Dumpling Festival

This past weekend I went to the annual NYC Dumpling Festival in NYC’s Sara D. Roosevelt Park for the first time. It was paradise for a dumpling lover and thousands came to show their support.

The festival was really, really crowded and had a lot of hungry people standing in long lines, but I guarantee you that for those who decided to stick it out, it was worth the wait. After all, the theme of the year was “There’s a Chef in Everyone.” In addition to the classic dumpling consumption, there were a few new things to see as well: a dumpling making class, NYC-borough themed booths with vegan and vegetarian options, and major raffle prizes like Delta Airlines tickets and a year’s supply of Chef One Dumplings. There was kids’ entertainment like the Dumpling Mama mascot, a child-friendly activity tent, Lion Dancing and a performance by Yut and the Hot Four (pictured above in my collage of pics from the day) who were pretty amazing.

The highlight of the Dumpling Festival is always the very real Dumpling Eating Contest — unfortunately, I missed it, but I saw the female winner, Molly Schuyler, holding her check for $2,000 at the end for eating 115 dumplings in two minutes, and the HUGE smile on her face. The other highlight is that 100% of the proceeds for the festival went to the Food Bank for New York City.

If you’re looking for a dumpling recipe, please find one below posted by Chef One to promote the festival. Also, be on the look out for information on next year’s dumpling festival and try to go if you can.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary passes to the festival, as well as compensation for this post and the one that preceded, but all opinions are my own.

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