Mei Mei Boston
Inspired Chinese-American cuisine
Irene Li ’08 launched her third and fourth Boston-based food businesses: Mei Mei by Design in the Seaport, a shipping container-turned-lunch counter, and Mei Mei Pantry, a line of Chinese-inspired sauces starring local ingredients. Both enterprises emerged from her and her siblings’ award-winning food truck, caterer, and restaurant, Mei Mei, near Kenmore Square, serving up creative Chinese-American cuisine made from locally-sourced and sustainable ingredients. The food truck opened in April 2012 and was awarded Boston’s Best Meal on Wheels. Mei Mei Restaurant, named Eater Boston’s Restaurant of the Year, opened in November 2013 and serves casual truck-style lunch and creative and contemporary table-service dinner. Irene was a semifinalist for the 2015 James Beard Award in the Rising Star Chef category and was named an Eater National “Young Gun.”