I had the pleasure of interviewing Lon Symensma, Founder and Executive Chef of Cholon Restaurant Concepts just before Thanksgiving 2024. As of when we chatted, a second location of YumCha just opened and his first restaurant venture in Denver International Airport is soon to open. Click the graphic below to listen to our In Good Taste Denver Podcast conversation to learn about all that’s new, what’s delicious, and why dumplings are having more than just a moment.
Podcast: What’s New with Lon Symensma
The executive chef and founder of ChoLon Restaurant Concepts in Denver, is always a busy man but things are ramping up more than ever for his restaurant empire.
In late October, a second location of YumCha Dumpling & Noodle Bar opened in Central Park’s Eastbridge Town Center where Symensma has had two restaurants over the years. The end-space was closed for a few months to remodel it into not only YumCha but also a commissary kitchen which is now the main dim sum-making operation for all of the concepts.
In the new spot, diners are greeted with the familiar and dramatic undulating wood ceiling over the dining room as well as a colorful mural of a happy little dumpling with headphones. (I want to listen to what he’s listening to!) Immediately, you know you’re in for a playful and creative dining experience.
In addition to the new YumCha and commissary kitchen, Symensma is also opening his first restaurant in Denver International Airport. ChoLon DIA is slated to open just before Thanksgiving in Terminal C’s new Southwest Airlines expansion. In the podcast, Symensma talks about what the process is like to be selected and to then open a restaurant at DIA (it’s not as simple as signing a lease on a brick-and-mortar place.)
“It’s kind of the biggest local accomplishment,” he says. “It really brought a lot of joy to my heart and made me feel very fulfilled in my career…”
With the opening of the DIA spot, ChoLon Restaurant Concepts will be comprised of three ChoLon locations (downtown, Sloan’s Lake and the airport), two YumCha locations (downtown and Central Park) and one Italian concept, Gusto, in the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood.
In our podcast, Lon explains how his work and travels in Italy inspired his desire to open Gusto, but not before having a long career with Asian cuisine. Lon’s impressive career has included working for the illustrious Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten in New York.
It was in New York, where Lon was Executive Chef at Buddakan restaurant, where he met dim sum chef Michelle Xiao. After moving to Denver and building up a solid and successful career as a chef and restaurateur here, Lon set about trying to convince Michelle to move to Denver and bring her stellar dim sum-creative talents to ChoLon Restaurant Concepts. In 2019 she did and now heads the team working out of the new commissary, providing the dim sum and dumplings to each of the Asian concepts.
I asked Lon what some of his favorite dumplings are. He admits to having a soup dumpling every day for the past 14 years, and singles out his inventive French Onion and Gruyère Soup Dumpling as one of his modern variations on the traditional. But it’s his Pom Pom Shrimp that is his current fave. I had it at YumCha in Central Park and can vouch for its wow- and fun-factor in flavor and appearance. Here’s how Lon describes it:
“It’s a Vietnamese or Southeast Asian-inspired shrimp mousse. Then we shred spring roll wrappers so it’s almost like your hair, if you will, and roll the mousse around that. And then it looks like a pom pom from the cheerleaders back in high school.”
One of the most interesting parts of my conversation with Lon surrounds what “YumCha” means and how it translates to his thoughts on why people are so drawn to eating dumplings and other dim sum items.
My thanks to Lon Symensma for joining me for this episode.
Enjoy this episode of the In Good Taste Denver Podcast which is always available here on InGoodTasteDenver.com as well as on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast and pretty much everywhere you like to stream your favorite podcasts.
-By Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher/Managing Editor of the In Good Taste Denver blog and host of the In Good Taste Denver Podcast.
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