A family bun business evolves over three generations from side gig to celebrated local delicacy.
Qiaotou Tai Chen Meat Bun is an essential stop for many visitors to Qiaotou District in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. The third-generation family business is famed near and far for its baozi, traditional stuffed buns.
Founded in 1936 by Chen Yun-sheng, Tai Chen started out as a catering company, only selling the steamed dumplings on days when it had no bookings. Over time, its baozi became the snack of choice among locals, and around 1960 Chen decided to stop catering and focus solely on the buns.
In the early days, Tai Chen offered just two items: pork-filled baozi and mantou, plain steamed buns. It was not until 1990 when son Chen Rei-guang took over the business that the menu began to expand. The current iteration of Tai Chen, operated by the founder’s granddaughter Chen Yo-jing, offers 11 varieties of baozi and rolls, such as bamboo and mushroom, carrot, and red bean paste, as well as three types of mantou comprising brown sugar, original and whole wheat. The company sells about 13,000 of the snacks each week, including 1,500 through its online store.
In 2013, Tai Chen launched a second outlet at Qiaotou Sugar Refinery, a former processing facility that reopened as a cultural park three years previously. This store doubles as a showroom, featuring old pictures and retired machines charting the evolution of the business. Chen Rei-guang is there most days, chatting away with visitors about everything baozi and mantou.
—by Jim Hwang
The Tai Chen outlet at Qiaotou Sugar Refinery in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City
Opened in 1936 as a catering company, Tai Chen operates two locations in the metropolis and a popular online store.
A wide variety of ingredients and spices are used to create Tai Chen’s 14 flavors of steamed buns.
The family business sells some 13,000 of the snacks every week.
Tai Chen employees prepare mantou, steamed buns with no filling.
Green onion rolls are one of the company’s most popular offerings.
Keychains are among the souvenirs on offer at the company’s showroom at Qiaotou Sugar Refinery.
Tai Chen’s adorable mascot is the invention of third-generation proprietor Chen Yo-jing.
Chen Yo-jing, left, keeps customers coming back by regularly introducing new varieties.
Second-generation owner Chen Rei-guang shows off the bicycle his mother used to sell buns around the neighborhood.