Humble beginnings

Huang's shop, now a 150-squaremeter storefront, has been running for 17 years. She started it in 2008 after resigning from her position as a hotel manager. When both her parents and in-laws, skilled snack makers with street stalls, found it difficult to continue due to their advancing age, Huang felt compelled to keep the tradition alive.

Her grandfather and mother were especially skilled at making shaomai (steamed dumplings). Her mother would roll the dough by hand until it was nearly translucent — 500 grams of flour could yield over 100 skins, compared with just 60 or 70 from today's machines.

"My grandfather used to sell them on the streets, and business was very good," Huang recalls.

His shaomai were entirely handmade and came in small batches. The filling was mostly dried bamboo shoots or fresh bamboo stirfried with meat.

When Huang first opened her shop, she relied on the family recipe but soon felt the need to cater to the changing tastes of the younger generation. Today, most fillings combine vermicelli with diced pork.

Another house specialty is luoba, a pan-fried rice cake, traditionally a savory snack. Huang has introduced a sweet variety, as well as a mugwort-flavored version for spring.

"We must innovate, or we won't survive," says this savvy businesswoman.