Meet the Creator: Dicky's Dumps
Rooted in tradition and continually inspired by their appetites, Dicky's Dumps is a Vancouver-based dumpling business that's co-owned by Pearl Lam and Dickson Li. Their Chinese dumplings are handmade in small batches and flash frozen to lock in optimal flavour and freshness.
They have built a business around a comfort food that's so iconic in Chinese culture. Since their inception they have managed to attract a lot of first-time tasters who are now big-time dumpling fans. Together and separately, they’ve been championing community and culture for most of their adult lives — Dickson through cooking and feeding loved ones, and Pearl through creating District Local, a Vancouver passion project. They both participate in a lot of local events and are longtime supporters of the Chinatown community.
Dicky's Dumps was conceived at a District Local Lunar New Year event Get Lucky Art Show, celebrating Chinese heritage while bringing the community together, and sharing the culture in a fun way with those who may or may not have grown up with it.
Their delicious dumplings come in four flavours and are sold at local grocers and restaurants, including TV Dinner Market & Cafe, Gourmet Warehouse, Stong’s Market, The Drive Canteen, Fujiya Japanese Foods, Welk’s General Store, Sing Sing, and more. Find their full list of stockists here. Order them for your freezer for the easiest meals here. Follow them on their Instagram account @dickysdumps for the latest community events and freshest dumpling drops.
We spent an afternoon with Pearl and Dickson at one of their good friends and stockists TV Dinner Market & Cafe. Read more about their journey with Dicky’s Dumps here.
Q&A with Pearl & Dickson
Q: What are 3 words your friends or family would use to describe you?
Pearl: Perceptive, resilient, and a workhorse.
Dickson: Fun, funny, and funniest.
Q: Tell us the story behind Dicky's Dumps.
Pearl: My friend Sylvia and I run a passion project called District Local, and in 2018 we hosted a community art show for Chinese New Year called Get Lucky and invited Dickson to help us run a dumpling bar.
Dickson: The dumpling bar was at Fortune Sound Club. We made about 1000 dumplings and it sold out in 90 minutes.
Pearl: So fast forward a couple more Chinese New Year dumpling pop-ups, and by demand we started selling dumplings at the side of our desk to our friends and family through Instagram.
Dickson: And then COVID hits, we both get laid off, but the dumplings pick right up so here we are.
Q: Where do you go when you are looking for inspiration?
Pearl: I think inspiration can be found anywhere and anytime, as long as you stay open and present.
Dickson: I go to the mountains because we live in Vancouver, get a few turns in in the Winter. Also, going to restaurants inspires us.
Q: What are some of your fondest memories since you have started Dicky’s Dumps?
Dickson: There’s lots obviously but definitely one of the first menu takeovers we did at our good friends restaurant called Pizza Coming Soon. It was for Lunar New Year and it was for the Year of the Ox, which was definitely memorable.
Pearl: We also worked with a group of Chinatown Seniors through Yarrow Society and we hosted a dumpling making workshop with them and that was really special. We were also invited to speak about our story at PechaKucha Vancouver, which was huge because I’m also not a public speaker.
Dickson: She killed it!
Q: What is the best way to prepare Dicky’s Dumps at home?
Dickson: Our dumplings were made to be very versatile, so you can pan fry them, steam them, or you can boil them.
Pearl: At home because I’m lazy, I usually just give them a quick boil and toss them in sauce and scarf them down. So quick and so easy.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Pearl: Getting to connect with different people of different backgrounds over food.
Dickson: Amen.
Q: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Pearl: Trust your intuition more and sooner.
Dickson: Spent more money on travelling. When you’re younger, that is one key piece of advice. Travel and eat everything.
Q: What’s your favourite childhood snack?
Pearl: I ate a lot of sugary cereals. My favourite was Reese Puffs and Chef Boyardee.
Dickson: Haw flakes. If you don’t know what those are, look them up. And then, Maltesers. Not Whoppers, Maltesers, don’t get it twisted.
Q: How would you describe your style?
Pearl: Kind of all over the place. But usually street, a little bit of vintage, and a little bit funky.
Dickson: And then my style has a bit of streetwear, skate, techwear, whatever the vibe is or the trend.
Shop Pearl and Dickson’s Looks at Plenty:
Shop the curated looks put together by Pearl and Dickson.
Pearl’s Look 1: Free People Good Luck Midrise Jean, Monk & Lou Open Knit Kenna Polo, and JJXX Tania Faux Fur Jacket
Pearl’s Look 2: Free People High Roller Jumpsuit and Free People Be My Baby Long Sleeve Tee
Dickson’s Look 1: Obey Patron Cardigan and Gramicci Gadget Pant
Dickson’s Look 2: Cat WWR Big Cat Logo Crewneck and Cat WWR Canvas Carpenter Pant
