By Debbie Hill P’26, ’28, ’31, ’32 & Joe Sonderman P’31, ’35, ’38, Passport Series Chairs
“Dumpling: a piece of dough with no filling OR a casing of dough enclosing a savory or sweet filling that is cooked by boiling, simmering, steaming, frying, or baking.”
The MICDS Passport Series held its first-ever dumpling tasting event with “Dumplings Around the World,” kicking off 2026-2027. This event evolved from the previous tea tasting and encompassed similar themes of sharing cultural traditions and celebrating our school community’s diversity.
A rolling playlist of national anthems welcomed parents to Olson Hall while enticing aromas wafted through the building. The Olson Hall Presentation Room was adorned with festive flags and colorful cultural decorations. Fourteen countries were represented by 17 parents, who served a variety of savory and sweet dumplings, each with a recipe tidbit or fun fact to share:
- Australia – Kelly Wright P’25, ’27, ’29 and past PA President 2022-23, made golden syrup dumplings, a traditional nostalgic comfort dessert for Australians. These light, pillowy dumplings were made from scratch, drenched in Lyle’s Golden Syrup (a pantry staple in the UK), and served with vanilla ice cream. Kelly made these as a nod to past PA President 2023-24, Annie Sloane P’20, ’25.
- El Salvador – Zoila Rendon-Ochoa P’31, served two types of pupusas made from corn masa flour. One had a bean and cheese filling, and the other, pork and cheese. Both were served with curtido, a lightly fermented pickled cabbage slaw made with carrots, onions, oregano, and vinegar.
- Chile – Michelle Adams P’30 & Francesca Denton P’31, baked empanadas de pino with a homemade filling of thinly sliced steak, onions, cumin, paprika, curry, and oregano. These empanadas had a distinct rectangular shape and were served with a thin slice of hard-boiled egg and a black olive.
- China – Karen Elvin P’28 served guotei (鍋貼), a type of fried dumpling also commonly known as potstickers. The homemade filling consisted of seasoned ground pork, and the dumplings were pan-fried. Ellen Song P’24, ’26, brought in jiaozi (餃子) homemade by her mom. The dumplings had a beef filling and were lightly pan-fried and steamed.
- Czech Republic – Jen Hogan P’26, ’28 brought in koláče (ku-LAH-chee), a traditional Czech pastry with a soft yeast dough that envelopes a filling. Apricot and poppy seed varieties are her family’s favorites. For this event, there were raspberry cream cheese, apple, and sausage and gravy (American style) options.
- Germany – Rebecca Lay P’28, ’31, brought in stollen from a St. Louis institution, Federhofer’s Bakery. Guests were spoiled with a variety of flavors to choose from: pecan, caramel apple, chocolate chip, and classic crumb. This traditional yeast-leavened bread is usually consumed during Christmas, but Federhofer’s is so popular that it is available year-round.
- Hong Kong – Debbie Hill ’26, ’28, ’31, ’32, steamed har gow (蝦餃) and served them with a spicy condiment called chili crisp. These traditional Cantonese shrimp dumplings are a staple of dim sum restaurants around the world. They consist of fresh shrimp wrapped in a dough made of wheat and tapioca starch that is then delicately sealed with neat pleats. Once steamed, this results in an aesthetically translucent and perfectly plump dumpling. These har gow were store-bought frozen as Debbie humbly leaves such an intricate undertaking to the dim sum masters.
- India – Priya Soni P’30 and Kiran Satwani P’31 baked samosas filled with potatoes, peas, ginger, chili, cilantro, turmeric, and other aromatic spices. They were served with mint chutney or a sweet tamarind and date-based chutney. Samosas are a staple treat at Indian festivities and are also widely consumed as a snack or appetizer.
- Malaysia – Sharon Ding P’27 served her favorite street snack karipap. These handheld dumplings had a homemade filling of chicken, potatoes, onions, and curry powder. The puff pastry shell with an egg wash was baked to a golden brown. Also known as curry puffs, karipap can be found in hawker stalls and cafés throughout Malaysia.
- Mexico – Zoila Rendon-Ochoa P’31 also brought in empanadas de manzana and empanadas de fresa from Diana’s Bakery, a local Mexican bakery located in St. Louis City. These Mexican sweet empanadas had apple and strawberry fillings and are considered an everyday pastry treat.
- Nepal – Sukepma Giri P’27, ’33 served homemade chicken and vegetarian momo with a dipping sauce made from tomatoes, sesame, ginger, garlic, cilantro, green chilis, dried chilis, and Sichuan peppercorns. Sukepma enlisted the help of her family to make and delicately wrap all of these steamed dumplings.
- Russia – Irene Chao P’28 served her national dish of pelmeni that had a ground chicken filling wrapped in a thin unleavened dough. These dumplings were prepared by boiling them in water mixed with a little bit of butter. Traditional condiments include sour cream, mayo, mustard, or broth.
- Saint Louis, MO – St. Louis natives Sara Gilbert ’94, P’26, ’29 & John Pitman ’94, P’28 brought in t-ravs from STL Toasted on the Hill, a locally owned restaurant serving scratch-made toasted raviolis. These were served with their house-made marinara as well. Created accidentally in the 1940s, t-ravs are now an iconic must-try food staple of this city.
- South Korea – Chris Burke P’33, ’36, served homemade mandu (만두) with a filling made from a mixture of pork, beef, sweet potato noodles, bean sprouts, and kimchi. Her two little boys helped make the dumplings by carefully filling and folding the wheat-based wrappers before they were steamed to perfection. These dumplings were accompanied by a soya sauce-based, sesame, garlic, and scallion dipping sauce.
- USA – Claire Newton P’27 served a well-loved comfort dish of chicken and dumplings. The base consisted of chicken soup, carrots, onions, and celery. The dumplings were homemade biscuits that included a special ingredient of sour cream, which keeps the dumpling texture lighter and prevents it from becoming too doughy.
This gathering of parents provided opportunities to not only learn about other cultures but also meet and mingle with new and existing parents alike. It was wonderful to observe wide smiles and hear animated conversations between compliments and exclamations of full bellies. It’s a universal truth that food is love, and comfort tastes the same everywhere. Dumplings are definitely proof of that. Every culture has them, their own way of folding flavor, tradition, and a bit of love into one perfect bite!
Many thanks to all of our parent representatives and volunteers who lovingly prepared and took the time to share their dumpling traditions. This event was hosted by Passport Series Chairs, Debbie Hill and Joe Sonderman, with huge support from Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning, PA President – Meghan Trilling P’26, ’28, VP Parent Engagement – Siara Montgomery P’29, VP Class Activities – Sarah Plaskett P’30, and VP Communications – Becca Bryan P’24, ’26, ’29, ’30.
The Passport Series continues to provide a unique opportunity amongst the regional independent schools for parents to share in each other’s diverse and beautiful backgrounds. Join our mailing list, and please save the dates for our upcoming events:
- Nov. 13 – Diwali Celebration
- Feb. 12 – Lunar New Year Celebration – Year of the RAM
- March 2027 – Mahjong
- April 2027 – Cricket
Are you interested in celebrating your culture and heritage with the rest of our community? Send us an email at passportseries@micds.org and let’s chat! Passport Series events are organized by parents for parents/guardians, and we would love for you to be involved.