OUR STORY · 温州 · 广州 → CHICAGO
Chén (晨) means morning
We're a few friends who've lived in Chicago a long time — and never stopped craving the mornings of our hometowns. Some of these dishes are from Wenzhou, some from Guangzhou. None of them made it onto Midwest menus. Until now.
5 AM
The grind
Soybeans soaked overnight are ground fresh every market morning. Dòujiāng is only ever hours old.
6 AM
The steam
First bamboo steamers go on. Bāozi are pleated by hand — eighteen folds, the way we learned back home.
7 AM
The dispatch
The stand opens. Every order gets a number, a name in two languages, and an explanation if you want one.
From stand to breakfast house
The market stand is chapter one. The mission is a dedicated Chinese breakfast house — Chicago's first — where dòujiāng is ground behind the counter and the steamers never stop.
Taste chapter onePHOTO · FRIENDS AT THE STAND, EARLY LIGHT