Irene Shiang Li is a Boston-based chef and restaurateur and a winner of a 2022 James Beard Leadership Award. The youngest person to win the award (32), Li is also a six time finalist in the Rising Star Chef category.[1]
A self taught chef, Li founded Mei Mei as a food truck, Mei Mei Street Kitchen, with brother Andrew and sister Margaret in 2012.[2] Mei Mei means little sister in Mandarin.[3] They opened Mei Mei Restaurant a year later in 2013,[4] and Mei Mei now operates as a dumpling company, teaching virtual classes and selling packaged dumplings at farmers markets with their headquarters in South Boston.[3] During COVID-19, Li co-founded Project Restore Us with Marena Lin, Lily Huang and Tracy Chang, which is a nonprofit that sought to use the restaurant supply chain to help feed immigrant and working-class families.
In 2022, Irene co-founded Prepshift, a coaching, consulting, and workforce training business with Dylan Gully and Carla Cornejo. Originally created as an online tool to help restaurant owners run their businesses, Prepshift is also a technical assistance partner to the City of Boston, City of Cambridge, and other entities.[5]
Irene Li is the daughter of medical scientist Frederick Pei Li and granddaughter of military general Li Hanhun.[6] Along with her sister Margaret, she is the co-author of Perfectly Good Food from W.W. Norton.[6]
References edit
- ^ Mitchell, Jack (March 17, 2022). "Boston chef and restaurant owner Irene Li wins James Beard Award for leadership". WBUR News. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Irene Shiang Li". Irene Shiang Li. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Chef Irene Li of Boston-based Mei Mei shifted the business to dumpling making amid the pandemic; 10 years after founding it with her siblings, Li sees growth and recognition". MassLive. April 28, 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "IRENE LI Co-founder of Mei Mei and Prepshift". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "prepshift". prepshift. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b Goodyear, Dana (2023-07-31). "The Sisters Behind the Fridge-Cleanout Dinner". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
External links edit
- "How Irene Li Strives To Keep Mei Mei In Boston Alive". Forbes. December 4, 2020.
- A young Boston restaurateur who’s helping to change the game
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