By Day Jodi Lin is an Attorney But at Night the Chef Hat Comes Out

Jodi Lin’s Taiwanese-style soup dumplings and her company, dumpLins, have developed a cult following. Loyal customers, garnered through word of mouth, place online orders at jodisdumplins.com or hit one of her pop-ups at local pubs and sports bars. At those events, Jodi makes the dumplings right on the spot.

Inspired by the Taiwanese cuisine of her childhood and taught by her grandmother, Jodi creates crispy fried dumplings that feature traditional flavor profiles like ground chicken, Napa cabbage, ginger—and a distinctive signature ingredient.

“I put sauce in the dumplings. When I first started making them for people, I would bring the dumplings in addition to all the sauces, and it just drove me crazy. ‘Why am I bringing soy sauce and sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger and garlic?’ So I asked my mom what I should do. She said, ‘Just put it in the dumpling!’”

While dumpLin’s menu stays rooted in Asian cuisine, she also loves creating unique flavor combinations.

The popular “Midnight in Paris,” for example, features heirloom tomatoes, panko, garlic butter and basil. 

Inspired by her Northern California roots—she’s originally from San Francisco—there’s the “Chef Curry With the Shot,” a nod to her fanatical love of the Golden State Warriors and the team’s star player, Steph Curry.

The Chef Curry has chicken curry, potatoes and onions. It’s fried with a little bit of panko, adding that extra crunch. 

Jodi delights not only in creating but also in teaching. For those interested in learning the art of dumpling making, Jodi travels to private kitchens and classrooms to teach her skills. “My classes are for both kids and adults. Basically anyone interested in learning,” she says.

When Jodi’s not stuffing, filling and cooking dumplings (her record is more than 1,100 for a single event) she is working at her full-time job—a demanding one. For the last 16 years, she’s served as a Los Angeles County public defender. 

When she began pursuing a law degree, she discovered she excelled at her criminal law classes. She took an internship within the LA court system, which turned out to be a defining experience.

“As soon as I started interning, I was like, this is it, this is where I belong. Everything just made sense,” recalls Jodi.

The dumpling making came later. As a young lawyer, she started bringing her homemade dumplings to office potlucks. The positive feedback got her thinking.

“People kept saying, ‘These are restaurant quality. You should sell these.’ It’s the biggest compliment you can pay someone when they’re cooking for you.” 

With encouragement from friends and family, she launched dumpLins in 2016.

In the ensuing years, she’s expanded her menu to nearly 30 different flavors. One thing that hasn’t changed: the celebration of diversity through her food. 

“Not only am I proud to represent my culture—which I get to share with so many people—I also get to share flavors from other places and cultures. It is the combination that makes it so rewarding.”