Ian Peng had always wanted to open a restaurant, but he had no idea he’d be opening his first one during a pandemic.
The 22-year-old moved to Frisco from Georgia after graduating from culinary school to live out his dream.
Peng said he first started cooking in Taiwan when he was 7 or 8 years old, about a year before coming to the U.S. He spent weekends at the Taiwanese breakfast restaurant next door, learning from family friends how to prepare dumplings, noodles and traditional breakfast foods.
“This is me fulfilling my dream of bringing more Chinese cuisine — more Taiwanese cuisine — to the U.S.,” he said.
His first job in the culinary world was as a dishwasher in a restaurant that promoted him to be its sushi chef — just before graduating high school.
“Being so young and working in the industry always comes with cons,” he said. “People are going to think I'm too young and I'm not capable. But I'm here to prove them wrong.”
Kitchen Master, a name Peng said he chose because “we want to be the best,” has been open for to-go service for a few weeks and will open its dining room June 16.
The menu emphasizes handmade dumplings, noodle dishes, soups and stir-fries.
Peng recommends new customers go straight for the dumplings, which are made from scratch behind a large window within view of diners and require intricate handwork, he said. There is a specific number of folds on each dumpling, and each needs a special technique. They’re best enjoyed right as they’re made, he said.
When it comes to the quality of his food, Peng is uncompromising. That’s why he took the restaurant’s signature dish — their house soup dumplings — off the menu until he opens for sit-down dining. He didn’t want it to sit in a bag for takeout.
“We firmly believe in our quality,” he said.
The dumpling is filled with a pork jelly with herbs that takes half a day to prepare. When cooked, it turns into a broth inside the dumpling, hence the name “soup dumpling.”
The result is aromatic, fresh and a layering of different Chinese flavors that reflect the entire menu, Peng said.
Another popular item is the beef noodle soup, which starts with an overnight bone broth mixed with herbs. The beef shank is cooked in the soup and then stir-fried with a tomato extract before being added back into the broth.
The dumplings run from $6 to $12, while noodle and stir-fry entrees run from $10 to $16. Seafood dishes cost a little extra.
Peng spent a summer in Taiwan, reimmersing himself in the culture and sharpening his Chinese cooking skills at a restaurant where he worked for free. Peng started the process of opening in September, and when shelter-in-place orders started to roll out in March, he was uncertain about its future.
“The challenge is definitely just opening and trusting yourself,” he said. “You don’t know if it is going to fail or not.”
But there’s one element of the restaurant business that he’s sure about: “I can basically guarantee that it's gonna be some of the best Chinese food you’ve ever had.”
Kitchen Master is located at 9285 Preston Road, Frisco. kitchenmasterbistro.com.
