In 2016, Greg Ling and Rosa Ross planned to launch the Cantonese-inspired Red Dumpling Truck. Following a successful Indiegogo campaign to help fund the venture, the two were hard at work preparing a menu filled with dim sum specialties for their bright red 1963 Chevrolet truck, which they sent to Industrial Food Truck in Philadelphia to have retrofitted.
Then the project stalled.
“Me and Rosa paid for the truck in full about seven years ago,” Ling said. “We literally just got the truck back in our possession.”
Ling and Ross were among more than 30 clients who ran into major problems with Industrial Food Truck. According to a 2021 investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Industrial Food Truck allegedly had an alarming pattern of agreeing to work on food trucks for large fees, missing deadlines, returning them in bad shape or not returning them at all.
Now, with the help of Philadelphia law enforcement, the truck is back in Ling and Ross’ possession, and they are once again focusing on getting the Red Dumpling Truck up and running.
“It was so long ago, we forgot what we were going to do!” joked Ling.
“We have some work to do on it, but we’re hoping to be able to launch it soon,” added Ross.
Ling, a North Fork chef who is originally from Philadelphia, and Ross, who previously owned Scrimshaw in Greenport, are now in the process of finalizing the truck’s menu, which is in line with their 2016 vision of handmade dumplings and other items, like banh mi sandwiches. They’re also planning to attach a dim sum cart to the truck to add space for more items.
The pair is planning to debut the truck later in the summer for private catering and festivals, and Ling hopes it will become a popular part of the food truck landscape on the North Fork.
