Sans Dumpling
A humble beginning... one dumpling at a time
Over the years, I have probably made a gazillion dumplings serving friends and families and occasionally joked that I should start selling dumplings. In my little hometown, however, culinary skills were regarded as a hobby and not a talent that could be nurtured into a real profession. Going to culinary school was therefore not on my radar at all; I instead pursued an education in food and wine science. The thought of turning my passion for food and cooking into a career remained far-fetched for many years until a point where the circumstances of my life changed significantly.
In the late 2010s, I was supporting Johannes part time with Kemmeter Wines and growing increasingly aware of the mounting duties involved in running a vineyard and winery. With support from a respected former boss, I recognized the fork I had come to in the road and addressed it by quitting my full time job in 2017. It was not an easy decision but it was the right path to take. The main intent behind quitting my job was to help Johannes and work together at Kemmeter Wines. However, when we had the opportunity to build our wine production facility in 2019, we realized that this could be the chance for me to fully embrace my passion for food. Thus, we added a commercial kitchen at the facility for Sans Dumplings.
Looking back, the path to establishing Sans Dumplings was long but beautiful. It has been a journey and not a destination. Without Johannes‘ and my father’s encouragement, I do not think I would have had the courage to do this. Today, I must admit that I enjoy the change in my work duties from a ‘farm girl’ and a ‘wine cellar rat’ to a self-taught chef having fun in the kitchen. I have been able to leverage knowledge and skills from all my previous jobs and experiences to run the kitchen and business effectively.