The founder of one of the world’s biggest dumpling empires has died.
Yang Bing-yi, who set up the Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, “passed away peacefully” at the age of 96, the company said in a statement Saturday.
It did not mention the cause of death but said that private funeral arrangements were underway and that the family has asked for privacy.
Born in 1927 in China’s northern Shanxi province, Yang immigrated to Taiwan when he was 20 “with 20 dollars in his pocket,” the company said.
The business took off and the restaurant became synonymous with dumplings as well as dishes like steamed buns, egg fried rice and noodles.
Its restaurant at the Taipei 101 skyscraper hosted Hollywood star Tom Cruise in 2013, who dined and joined chefs to make soup dumplings.
