Behind the plate: Steam Boys team levels up Chinese comfort food

Bao, dumplings, noodles.

When Steam Boys opened its doors in Germantown in early 2019, it found a ready following for these Chinese dishes, true comfort foods that were not readily found in Nashville. Since then, the brand has expanded, with locations in Hermitage, Nolensville and Cleveland, Tenn., along with a busy kiosk in the Assembly Food Hall. Shops are poised to open at the intersection of Harding Place and Nolensville Road this summer and in Franklin later this year.

Heading the Steam Boys team is Brandon Lin, who first caught the passion for hospitality while working in his father’s restaurant, Fulin’s Asian Cuisine, which opened in 2004. While he was born in China, Lin grew up in Nashville, is a graduate of John Overton High and considers Music City his home. In creating this fast-casual concept, he assembled a group of friends, each of whom brings a special talent to the table. Read further to get a glimpse behind the plate—beneath the bamboo steamer—and learn about Lin and his team, their challenges, their goals and some of their favorite tastes at Steam Boys.

How did you arrive at the concept for Steam Boys?

Brandon Lin: I don’t know if it’s typical of my generation, but after graduating from college, I felt a little lost. What was my future? What was I to do next?  I was still in New York (I had attended NYU) seeking inspiration. My family history played into my decision—at Fulin’s my father melded Asian foods with Southern hospitality. I wanted to continue his legacy by introducing Nashville to Chinese comfort foods. There was risk in taking this path, but I believed that people were ready for it.

How did you bring together the Steam Boys team?

Brandon Lin: It was really magical. It was from my circle of friends. Andy Le, Michael Olatunji “Tunji” Junard and I had been friends from high school. Andy is our creative visionary who oversees branding and Tunji is head of marketing. I played basketball with Tao Xu. He has an MBA from TSU and is our chief dumpling and money counter. I met Hans Alcindor in college, and he heads our HR department.  We went to China to train in the art of making authentic bao and dumplings.

Amber Nguyen came on board a couple of years ago. A friend of Andy’s, she was also at John Overton High. She’s a dedicated team member in product development and she has designed over 40 flavors of boba and fruit teas for us.

What have been some of the challenges in growing the business, and maintaining it?

Tunji Junard: My challenge in marketing has been to figure out the draw of each location—as each has its own personality—and then get the messaging right. For instance, our boba is the main draw of the Hermitage store, downtown is dumplings, Nolensville is noodles.

Andy Le: Yes, to create a narrative that feels purposeful. Meaningful.

Brandon Lin: It’s also about introducing the culinary culture. It was a challenge, especially at the Cleveland store, because people had different expectations. They didn’t know about bao or dumplings or noodle bowls. They were wondering, “Where’s the General Tso Chicken?” Once they pushed past that, they discovered how much like they like this food.

And noodles cut across all cultures.

Brandon Lin: Yes, that familiar element.

Steam Boys is both local and global. You have an international team, representing China, Vietnam, Nigeria and Haiti. And you are Nashville homegrown. Can you talk about diversity and inclusiveness in your business model?

Hans Alcindor: We feel like ours is organic. It reflects who we are. We have a diversity in cultures and skillsets. And we have created a company culture that is welcoming and supportive. We want our staff to thrive, to have a degree of autonomy; let them contribute. To that end, we train our staff to be well-versed in the entire menu, from bao to boba.

Brandon Lin:  I am thankful that we are a big team. We each contribute valuable ideas. Diversity of thought! And, long-term thinking.

Tell us what your favorite Steam Boys dish is:

Tao Xu: Pan-seared pork and shrimp dumplings. It’s perfect.

Brandon Lin: For nostalgia, I choose the seared bao. This summer, I am drinking Amber’s orange-lemongrass-peach fruit tea. It is so refreshing.

Hans Alcindor: Our zha jiang noodles, its rich minced meat and spicy chili oil. It gives me the warm-and-fuzzies.

Amber Nguyen: I’d have to say our chili oil. I love all of our dishes, but adding chili oil to each makes it even better.

Tunji Junard: The beef noodles soup. It’s got that combination of the familiar and yet so different that makes it my forever favorite. It’s what sold me on the Steam Boys concept!

Andy Li:  Right now, I am enjoying our gua bao chicken cutlet. It's our twist on a fried chicken sandwich. With the chili oil, of course!

You have expansion plans in the works. What other goals drive you?

Brandon Lin: I am amazed at how far out our spirit and vision has carried us. What will our impact be, as we age? It’s important to be able to leave a legacy.

Hans Alcindor: Yes, we are still refining. We feel like it is still the early part for us. I recall a video someone shared from our first location of their 3-year-old saying, “I want dumplings from Steam Boys!” Now, that’s impact!

Brandon Lin: Right. And you don’t have to cross the ocean to get the experience.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Behind the plate: Steam Boys team levels up Chinese comfort food