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] They opened Mei Mei Restaurant a year later in 2013, [3] 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. [4]
With Lily Huang and Tracy Chang, Li co-founded Project Restore Us in 2020, which is a nonprofit that sought to use a restaurant's supply chain to help feed immigrant and working-class families.
Prepshift is a coaching, consulting, and workforce training business that Irene co-founded with Dylan Gully and Carla Cornejo. Originally created as an online tool to help restaurant owners run their businesses, Prepshift is now a technical assistance partner to the City of Boston, City of Cambridge, and other entities. [5]
Mei Mei means little sister in Mandarin. [4]
Irene Li is the daughter of medical scientist Frederick Pei Li and granddaughter of military general Li Hanhun. [6]
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] They opened Mei Mei Restaurant a year later in 2013, [3] 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. [4]
With Lily Huang and Tracy Chang, Li co-founded Project Restore Us in 2020, which is a nonprofit that sought to use a restaurant's supply chain to help feed immigrant and working-class families.
Prepshift is a coaching, consulting, and workforce training business that Irene co-founded with Dylan Gully and Carla Cornejo. Originally created as an online tool to help restaurant owners run their businesses, Prepshift is now a technical assistance partner to the City of Boston, City of Cambridge, and other entities. [5]
Mei Mei means little sister in Mandarin. [4]
Irene Li is the daughter of medical scientist Frederick Pei Li and granddaughter of military general Li Hanhun. [6]