Local Favorite Bao Bei Competes on Food Network’s ‘The Great Food Truck Race’ – Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Q&A

July 2, 2024 – By Elanor Wainscott

Images and Videos Courtesy of Food Network

Bao Bei, a ghost kitchen located in Rockville, MD, temporarily closed for business for a few months earlier this year to compete in a reality television show. The reality television show was Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” hosted by celebrity chef Tyler Florence. The show premiered on June 30th and you can watch the first episode here.

The show, which has been airing since 2010, pits between six and nine teams competing across the United States in food trucks and make stops every week to sell food in different cities. Each week, the food truck that brings in the least profit is sent packing. The truckers that make it to the end win $50,000 and their own food truck. 

Gaithersburg Native

At the moment, Bao Bei doesn’t have its own food truck. They operate out of a ghost kitchen. Chef and owner Kevin Hsieh opened Bao Bei in June of 2022. Hsieh is a Gaithersburg native. Bao Bei’s menu consists of Baos, rice bowls and side dishes, with their signature item being the Pork Belly Bao (slow-braised pork belly inside fluffy handmade buns). You can pickup or get it delivered. 

Where to Find Bao Bei

Bao Bei, 11910 Parklawn Dr. #0, in the back of the warehouse, Rockville, MD. 

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baobei.kh

Q & A with Bao Bei

We sent the Bao Bei team some questions and Kevin Hsieh, the owner of Bao Bei was gracious enough to answer them:

Why did you decide to compete on the show? 

It was a difficult decision to make because we were asked to be on the show just around the same time we were listed in the Washington Post Top 10 Fast-Casual Restaurants. We knew we would be missing out on a lot of business but also realized this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to try something new, that would be beneficial for the future. It seems we were right.

How did you get on the show? 

We were asked by a casting agent to join the show and went through the application process.

What was the audition process like?

A video interview with the three of us, being asked a plethora of questions testing both our capabilities and our personalities.

What are your plans for the future? Do you have plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant?

We are actually in the midst of opening up a brick and mortar, which hopefully without complication can be done before the end of the year. That will be very exciting for Bao Bei, and after we get that one down, we’ll see what the future holds. 

What was it like to compete on the show?

Competing on the show was much more fun than anticipated. It was hard work, but we’re used to that type of work in this industry, but it was great to be able to compete alongside other people that share a same path as you. Usually at work you’re just competing with yourself or passively with restaurants around you. It was nice to have head on competition to be a catalyst for growth. 

How would you describe the experience?

A wonderful experience, with extraneous tasks, long hours, some awful circumstances at times but just a great time. Nothing like the hard grind to really allow you to appreciate what we do as a career. Seeing customers and fans from across the nation line up to eat your food with great reactions. Just goes to show how worldwide Bao Bei can truly be. 

We at Moderately MOCO look forward to watching Bao Bei compete on the show and trying out their food in the near future.

From Food Network, here is Bao Bei’s intro video on the show:

https://moderatelymoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Great-Food-Truck-Race_Team-Bao-Bei-clip.mp4

---