Welcome To Our Kitchen

A Farm-To-Table Asian Experience Delivered To Your Door

By Patricia Canole

Dumplings, Buns, Mooncakes. It’s all here with lots more to whet your appetite. The recently launched Our Kitchen, the farm-to-table meal service, delivers healthy and authentic Chinese dishes to New Yorkers and beyond. The brainchild of 25-year-old Paulo Wei, he emphasizes all ingredients on his menu are sourced from his 43-acre farm situated along the Neversink River in Port Jervis, New York. Once harvested and subsequently prepared by onsite chefs, foods are then flash frozen before shipping.

Paulo Wei is committed to bringing authentic Chinese dishes inspired from his childhood meals to homes nationwide conveniently, efficiently, and deliciously. Our Kitchen delicacies range from $12 to $20 with selections including farm-grown Beef and Carrot Dumplings, Seasons Fish Dumplings, Beef and Onion Dumplings, Sun Xian (Shrimp, Pork and Oriental Chives), Organic Vegetarian Bao Zi (Buns), and Mooncakes that maintain optimal freshness.

Paulo was inspired to start Our Kitchen by his grandmother, Li Ya-Wen. Paulo would make the same vegetarian dumpling recipe with his grandmother in his childhood years that is now a staple on the Our Kitchen menu. “I’ve wanted to create a serious food brand with incredible products that align with authentic Chinese food culture.

Paulo was inspired to start Our Kitchen by his grandmother, Li Ya-Wen. Paulo would make the same vegetarian dumpling recipe with his grandmother in his childhood years that is now a staple on the Our Kitchen menu. “I’ve wanted to create a serious food brand with incredible products that align with authentic Chinese food culture.

Paulo and the Our Kitchen team also plan to transform the farm’s 80 horse stables, two large houses, and Olympic-sized horse arena into a boutique hotel. The immersive resort will welcome guests worldwide, offering a luxurious and holistic culinary and wellness experience just hours outside of New York City.

We sat down with Paulo to learn a little more about his vision for Our Kitchen.

Tell us about your background.
I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, raised in Hong Kong for eight years, before moving to Beijing for 10 years. I moved to the U.S. in 2013, lived in Irvine, California, then a year later moved to New York. I am a big fan of living a healthy lifestyle. That includes following a good diet, consistently working out and practicing yoga and meditation.

You’re studying at Columbia University. What impact has that had on your career?
I am majoring in Computer Science and East Asian Studies at Columbia University. The one big thing that studying at Columbia has on my career would be training me how to think. There are many times where I would complain about the never-ending schoolwork; now that I think of it, it has trained me in scheduling my time efficiently.

What led you to this concept? Who/what was your inspiration?
During COVID-19, I helped multiple Chinese restaurants in New York City in designing and launching the frozen dumpling kit. It was a great success because many people wanted to eat out, but they couldn’t, due to the pandemic. Having the frozen dumpling kit’s launch most definitely fulfilled and hopefully satisfied people’s craving for Asian food. My family was great in supporting me all along the way. I would say my grandparents and both my parents are my inspiration in doing Our Kitchen.

With most consumers now cooking at home because of COVID-19, have you seen an uptick in sales?
Yes, especially at the very beginning of the pandemic. We sold nearly 8,000 handmade dumplings in two orders! It was a great learning experience for me in trying to keep up with the order while constantly improving the taste of our products.

Presently you have a thriving farm/market and online business. Would you ever consider an on-site restaurant with dine-in service in the future?
Yes, I most definitely would. We are going to focus on developing our space in upstate New York because of its breathtaking views. We have the Neversink river running right behind our property.

How do you develop and build your menu? Are there seasonal options available?
Our menu is based on what our customers like. For instance, we see a trend of customers eating spicy food during cold weather. Therefore, this past winter, we designed and launched products with spicy elements. We source from our farm. Therefore, we go according to our seasonal vegetables in designing our menu.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Where do you see yourself in five years?

With such dependence on quality, are you able to assure consistency?
Yes, we can assure consistency. We have a team that specializes in ensuring our products are consistent and kept in the best condition.

Our Kitchen is more than just another farm-fresh delivery service. As Paulo says: “We focus on our relationships with the customers and their experiences with our products. After all, food is just our byproduct; our real product is capturing and creating a moment.”

For more information on Our Kitchen, visit ourkitchen.us.