At the crossroads of family legacy, culinary passion, and entrepreneurial spirit stands Nadia Liu Spellman, the 41-year-old CEO of Dumpling Daughter, have a look at her age, husband and net worth
Nadia Liu Spellman’s parents’ renowned fine-dining Chinese restaurant, Sally Ling’s has blossomed into a multimillion-dollar success story in the form of frozen dumplings.
Who is Dumpling Daughter owner Nadia Liu Spellman, bio, age, family, husband, nationality and net worth
The journey of Nadia Liu Spellman took an unexpected turn when her parents discouraged her from following their path. The strains of running a restaurant had affected their family dynamics, prompting her father to advise her to seek a career allowing her to be a “self-sufficient woman.”
Nadia Liu Spellman grew up watching her parents run a fine-dining restaurant. Now, her dumpling business has three restaurant locations and sells on Amazon.https://t.co/pXLWTnbzbg
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) December 31, 2023
Undeterred, she pursued finance in New York City for five years before realizing her true passion lay in the sizzling kitchens and vibrant atmosphere of restaurants.
Nadia Liu Spellman, 41, brought in $4.5 million over a year through her dumpling business and is the founder and CEO of Dumpling Daughter, a quick-service restaurant chain and direct-to-consumer dumpling business based in Boston, MA.
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There are three Dumpling Daughter stores in the Boston area, with Nadia claiming that over 4,000 dumplings are sold every day and most of her income comes from these frozen food restaurants.
Her parents ran Sally Ling’s, a popular fine-dining Chinese restaurant in Boston and for decades, she watched her mother and father serve and host celebrities like Julia Child and Yo-Yo Ma.
Not much is known about Nadia Liu Spellman’s husband, Kyle Spellman but as per his LinkedIn profile, he owns Heirloom Restaurant and is a partner at Spellman Ventures. Interestingly, both Liu and Kyle went to Weston High School.
Following this, Kyle went to Northeastern University in Boston while Liu, on the other hand, pursued Business Management and Entrepreneurship as her Bachelor’s at Babson College.
In 2008, armed with determination and a meager $97 in her bank account, Nadia Liu Spellman made a pivotal decision. Moving in with her mother, who managed a Sally Ling’s location, she worked as the restaurant’s general manager for two years. This hands-on experience provided valuable insights, inspiring her to develop a business plan for a “quick service” restaurant.
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Returning to her hometown of Weston, Massachusetts, in 2010, Spellman, with the support of family loans, invested roughly $120,000 to launch the first Dumpling Daughter restaurant. The response was immediate and overwhelming with crowds forming lines “out the door and around the building.”
Within three months, the demand for her authentic dumplings led to sold-out days, a testament to the nostalgia and excitement surrounding the next generation of her family’s culinary legacy.
However, the entrepreneurial path was not without its challenges. In 2015, former Dumpling Daughter employees launched a copycat restaurant, Dumpling Girl, just miles away. Spellman responded with a federal lawsuit, emphasizing the importance of protecting her brand. Despite legal hurdles, Dumpling Daughter continued its momentum, opening a second location in 2018.
The year 2020 brought unforeseen challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, compelling Spellman to adapt. In a strategic move, her team launched a direct-to-consumer website, allowing customers to order frozen dumplings directly to their homes. The success of this e-commerce pivot paved the way for expanded product offerings, including the introduction of a special brown sugar and chili oil dipping sauce on Amazon.
Today, Dumpling Daughter’s boxed dumplings are available in grocery stores across the East Coast and Midwest. Despite its multi-channel success, the company is not yet profitable, a common challenge for young online businesses. Spellman acknowledges the risks of investing in growth but remains hopeful that Dumpling Daughter’s e-commerce efforts will solidify its position as a household name.
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Nadia Liu Spellman earns $4.5 million each year but her net worth isn’t known.
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