An International Dumpling Mastermind Arrives on Melrose

It feels like we’ve known you forever.

And yet here we are. Standing on the precipice of a new phase in our relationship:

Better known as the Dumpling Phase.

Because here comes Stuff’d, a small new shop offering whimsical dumplings based on the Slavic versions, only filled with surprises like Kalua pork and miso black cod. It opens Wednesday on Melrose and here’s its slideshow.

This comes from a former Cafe Stella exec chef and past private chef for Ari Emanuel and LCD Soundsystem. Now, she prefers to source great local proteins and produce to prepare for you in this cheery, white-walled shop hung with verdant foliage and framed drawings of smiling dumplings. Because who wouldn’t?

You’ll pop in for lunch with friends or a quick, casual dinner with a date. Just approach the giant mirrored menu and start selecting the dumplings your destiny is about to get intertwined with. You could do the classic Siberian dumplings with pork or beef. But truthfully, we see a Notorious P.I.G. with Kalua pork and purple potato purée in your future. We see things.

Meanwhile, your date looks a little anxious, wondering about the potential ramifications of a night of dumplings crashing violently into the food allergies that define them. That’s when you’ll lean over and whisper softly in their ear: “They’re also gluten-free.”

You always know just what to say.