Workshops & Tastings | Dumpling Diplomacy Inc.

workshops & tastings

LET'S MAKE SOMETHING

Every workshop starts the same way:
food on the table and a story to tell

ages 5 - 125 welcome

HAVE A TASTE

We believe the fastest way to understand a culture is to make its food with your own hands or to taste your way through its history while someone tells you the story behind it. Our team brings deep knowledge to every session.

We offer two formats: hands-on Workshops, where you cook, and Talks + Tastings, where you sit, listen, and sample. Pick one below, or contact us to build a custom session for your group

Hand placing a fortune cookie in a wooden bowl on a red festive background with folded paper fans

FAMILY WORKSHOP AT THE MONTCLAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY

GOOD FORTUNE COOKIES

Join us to write affirmative wishes and slip them into fresh baked fortune cookies that we'll make together. This one-off session is hosted in partnership with the library's Open Book / Open Mind read of "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee.

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, 3pm - 4:30pm
Registration opens soon. Sign up for newsletter to be notified.

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES

WORKSHOPS

Gather around for these neuro-inclusive, most abilities, hands-on sessions.

Lunar New Year Workshop

Ages: Kindergarten & up

It’s the biggest celebration of the year in many households — so we open with the story of why: the legends, the traditions, the reasons families gather. From there, kids roll their own sweet, round mochi, a shape and treat tied to togetherness and a fresh start, and fold an origami craft to take home alongside

it.

Sticky fingers, full bellies, and a new appreciation for one of the world’s oldest celebrations.

Close-up of a small yellow snail-shaped object on a dark surface with a blurred plant in the background

Dessert Mochi

Ages: All ages

A sweeter, squishier hands-on session: attendees make their own mochi from scratch, taste what they’ve made on the spot, and pack up extras to take home.

Along the way, we share the history and stories behind this centuries-old treat.

Five purple flower-shaped pastries arranged on a white plate.

Mooncake Festival Workshop

Ages: Kindergarten & up

Why do people gather to look at the moon and eat round pastries once a year? This workshop answers that with a story before anyone touches dough — the legends behind the Mid-Autumn Festival and the mooncake itself. Then kids get hands-on, shaping and filling their own mooncakes and folding a matching origami craft.

A hands-on taste of a tradition that’s been celebrated for

centuries.

Child using a mortar and pestle at a colorful classroom science table

Dumpling 101 (BITE-SIZED EDITION)

Ages 5 & up

A shorter, snack-sized session for classrooms, birthday parties, or first-timers — the fundamentals of pleating, filling, and folding a dumpling from scratch, no experience required.

Perfect as a first taste of what we do.

KIDS & FAMILY

ADULTS

Dumpling Diplomacy Table

Ages: 18 & up

Hands-on, start to finish you’ll learn to make dumplings from scratch alongside fresh noodles and seasonal vegetables — then everyone sits down together and shares the meal you just made. No solo plating, no rush to clean up and go.

White scooter with beige seat and front basket against a pink striped background.

One session, many occassions

The format stays the same — cook together, then eat together — but we tailor the tone, pacing, and add-ons to fit why your group is actually there:

Date Night — smaller group size, a slower pace, wine/beverage pairing add-on available
Team Building — built-in conversation prompts and light collaborative tasks woven into the cooking, scaled for larger office groups
Friends Gathering — casual and social, flexible timing, easy to book around a birthday or reunion

take a bite of history

TALKS & TASTINGS

A different format from the hands-on workshops above: guests sit, listen to a presentation (with slides), and sample food along the way — no cooking involved. Great for lunch-and-learns, classroom visits, corporate retreats, or for anyone who would like to learn with all five senses.

Hiker with backpack and smiling bundle walks through orange mountains at sunset

A Brief History of the Dumpling

A guided journey through where dumplings actually come from — how a single idea (dough + filling) shows up across dozens of cultures, and what that says about migration, trade, and family.

Slides, stories, and tastings throughout.

A Jewish Christmas in Chinatown

The origins and evolution of one of America’s great unofficial traditions — how Jewish and Chinese communities in America built a Christmas Day ritual of their own, and how it’s held up to the present day.

Chicken wonton noodle soup

is served, with the talk set to the sound of Christmas songs written by Jewish composers — a fitting soundtrack for a tradition built on the same overlap.

Poster reading “Dumpling Diplomacy” with four walking dumpling-like figures on a beige and red background.

Eggroll Evolution

Egg rolls didn’t start as egg rolls. This talk traces how one snack traveled, changed, and picked up new ingredients along the way — paired with tastings that show the evolution course by course.

CHARITY BAKING SESSIONS

WANT TO BAKE FOR A CAUSE?

Ready to Serve's Charity Baking Sessions are a volunteer activity, not a paid workshop — everything made is donated, and there’s no charge to participate. Head to Get

Involved to find the next one.