Tom Tong has 200 bao restaurants in China and is planning to open 20–30 on the East Coast, beginning in Providence and Cambridge. ChipRiegel.com
These handmade bao will steam and puff up slightly as they cook.
Bao made with spinach and cheese filling.
Intricately woven bamboo steamer baskets are made in a small village in the mountains of Fujian Province.
Jhonny Cortes, here with Tom Tong, spent three months in China becoming a Master Baoist.
Each bao must be made with 16–22 intricate pleats. Customers at Tom’s BaoBao will be able to watch the bao being made by hand.
Chef and Master Baoist Gerry Furtado will help train new staff at Hope & Main.