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Successful Chinese entrepreneur brings authentic steamed buns to Rhode Island
Tomorrow, Tom’s BaoBao will open its second and largest international location in the heart of downtown Providence. Owner Tom Tong’s bao concept, GanQiShi, currently serves nearly 250,000 bao a day at their more than 200 eateries throughout China. Following his success in China, Tong has made it is his mission to deliver the most perfect, authentic bao to the United States, starting with Harvard Square in Cambridge (July 2016) and now with a second restaurant in Providence’s Downcity neighborhood.
“Providence’s rich history and cultural appreciation align perfectly with our mission to introduce authentic, meticulously-prepared bao to the public,” explains Tom Tong, the company’s founder. “We are thrilled to be a part of the thriving Downcity neighborhood and look forward to sharing our passion with our patrons.”
The menu at Tom’s BaoBao in Providence will offer a carefully curated menu of bao that combines historical Chinese recipes with contemporary ingredients and flavors, including juicy pork, curry beef, vegetarian and a special New England-centric lobster bao. Additional flavors and options will be introduced regularly. Many of the restaurant’s ingredients are prepared at Hope & Main in neighboring Warren, RI, which is also where the research, development and employee training for Tom’s BaoBao take place.
All of the restaurant’s bao artisans, also known as baoists, have apprenticed for at least three months (many in China) to perfect their technique, which requires meticulous precision. Each bao must be exactly 100 grams, with 16-22 hand-pinched pleats. The handmade bao are steamed in special bamboo steamers, which are sourced from a village high in the mountains of Fu Jian province in China. Tong believes that bao is best enjoyed by engaging four senses (see, feel, smell, taste). A perfect bao will shimmer like a pearl, give in when pressure is applied and exhibit subtle aromas from the bamboo steamers. The juices of the filling will soak into the borders of the bao allowing it to melt in one’s mouth with every single bite.
Tom’s BaoBao Providence is a modern, bright white space with tile floors, wood finishings (chairs and round table made by O&G studio in Warren, RI) and hand-painted murals by local artists. A special Rhode Island-themed lobster mural was designed by local artist and will be featured in the store, in addition to the regular Tom’s BaoBao murals. The restaurant’s design seeks to bring to life the four senses of bao through large murals depicting the bao-making process cast all over the small space. Behind the counter a large glass window looks into the kitchen so that guests can watch the baoists at work, offering the utmost transparency in the bao-making process.
Open seven days a week, Tom’s BaoBao is located at 326 Westminster Street, Providence, RI. For more information visit http://www.tomsbaobao.com, like Tom’s BaoBao on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat (@tomsbaobao).
ABOUT TOM’S BAOBAO
After discovering that bao, his favorite childhood treat, had become poorly mass-produced in modern China, entrepreneur Tom Tong made it his goal to reintroduce authentic, handmade bao to the masses. Tong opened GanQiShi in China in 2009, and since then has expanded to over 200 locations and accrued a loyal following. The first US locations of Tom’s BaoBao in Harvard Square, MA and Providence, RI carry on the same mission – to deliver freshly-steamed, flavorful bao meticulously prepared by skilled baoists and steamed in traditional bamboo steamers sourced from China.
