The Culinary Connections Among Babson’s Alumni

Nadia Liu Spellman ’04 admits that she was feeling nostalgic as she walked into Trim Dining Hall. 

The occasion was the annual Dinner in Green, an event where alumni food entrepreneurs come back to campus to share their dishes. Spellman is one of the many Babson alumni who form a loose food community that’s still involved with the College. “It was a beautiful night. Every station was a different alumni product,” says Spellman, the founder and CEO of Dumpling Daughter, a seller of homestyle Chinese cuisine. 

READ MORE IN BABSON MAGAZINE: The Food Network of Babson.

Being in Trim made Spellman reflect on when she was a student, sitting in that very same dining hall, so curious and hungry to learn, wondering where life would take her. Now, she had returned as an entrepreneur. “It was really full circle for me to serve my product where I once was sitting in that cafeteria and thinking, ‘What will I do with my life?’ ” she says. “It truly filled my heart. I am a sentimental person. It truly put a real smile on my face.” 

Spellman has lived a busy entrepreneurial life. She opened her first Dumpling Daughter restaurant in Weston, Massachusetts, in 2014. Three other restaurants followed, though Spellman eventually made the difficult decision to close those three restaurants as her food service business and retail offerings (frozen food, sauces, and merchandise) have taken off. “As I grow in my career, you can only do so much in a day,” she says. 

Not that she has left behind restaurants entirely. Spellman’s original Weston location remains open, as does a breakfast and lunch café, Heirloom, that she and her husband, Kyle, opened next door. She also has written a cookbook, Dumpling Daughter Heirloom Recipes, featuring the recipes of her mother, restaurateur Sally Ling. “I think recipes are really heirlooms that you can feel and taste and be comforted by,” Spellman says. 

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Her days may be full, but Spellman hasn’t forgotten about Babson. She likes to speak to College classes, and her food is often served at campus events. She hopes to inspire student entrepreneurs. “I am proud to say I went to Babson,” she says. “Any excuse to come on campus, I’ll do it.” 

She’s not the only one. Beyond Spellman, other Babson food entrepreneurs remain connected to the College in assorted ways, by catering events, supplying the dining hall with products, participating in Dinner in Green, and pursuing partnerships with Babson College Dining.

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Outcomes

Tagged Alumni, Graduate, Undergraduate, Babson Magazine

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