You remember the late 2000s? It was a weird time for food. Food trucks weren't "cool" yet—they were just vehicles for cheap tacos or questionable hot dogs. Then, in 2010, something shifted in Cleveland. A beat-up truck started rolling through the streets with a name that sounded like a pun your dad would make, but food that tasted like a revelation. That was Dim n Den Sum.
It wasn't just a truck. It was a vibe.
The Chaos and the Pork Belly
When Jeremy Umansky, Cris Dehlavi, and Brian Yamitowski launched Dim n Den Sum, they weren't trying to build a corporate empire. They were just hungry. They wanted to bring high-level Asian fusion to the masses without the stuffy white tablecloths or the $50 price tags. Honestly, it was a gamble. Cleveland wasn't exactly a hotbed for experimental street food back then. People wanted burgers. They wanted pierogies.
But then they tried the pork belly.
The truck became a cult classic almost overnight. You’d see these massive lines snaking down the sidewalk in Tremont or Ohio City. People were losing their minds over steamed buns filled with slow-roasted pork, pickled cucumbers, and hoisin. It was salty, fatty, acidic, and perfect. The menu was small, chaotic, and changed whenever they felt like it. One day it was ramen; the next, it was some wild take on kimchi fries.
Why Dim n Den Sum Actually Mattered
It’s easy to look back now and think, "Okay, it was a food truck. So what?" But you have to understand the context. In 2010, the "culinary scene" in the Midwest was still very much tucked away in brick-and-mortar buildings. Dim n Den Sum proved that you didn't need a million-dollar build-out to make world-class food. They used social media—specifically Twitter—to tell people where they were going to be.
This was revolutionary.
You had to hunt for your lunch. It turned eating into an event, a shared secret among the local "in-the-know" crowd. They paved the way for every other truck that followed, from Hodge Podge to Barrio’s mobile units. They were the pioneers of the Cleveland Food Truck Coalition. They fought the city for better permits. They fought for the right to park on public streets.
The Flavor Profile That Broke the Mold
The food wasn't just "Asian-inspired." It was aggressive. They used ingredients like Sriracha and kewpie mayo before you could find them in every suburban grocery store.
Take their "Crack Fries." They were basically just fries with a spicy, salty seasoning and some mayo, but they were addictive. Hence the name. Or the "PB&J" buns—pork belly and jam. It sounds disgusting on paper, right? It wasn't. The sweetness of the jam cut through the heavy fat of the pork in a way that made your brain short-circuit.
The Rise and the Sudden Quiet
Success is a double-edged sword. By 2011, Dim n Den Sum was everywhere. They were featured on "The Great Food Truck Race" on Food Network. They were the darlings of the local press. But running a food truck is brutal. It’s hot. It’s cramped. Engines break down. Deep fryers catch fire.
The team eventually moved toward other projects. Jeremy Umansky went on to become a literal world-renowned expert in fermentation, opening the award-winning Larder Delicatessen and Bakery. His work with koji and mold (the good kind!) has changed how chefs across the globe think about flavor. Brian Yamitowski moved into other culinary ventures.
The truck stopped rolling regularly around 2012.
It didn't "fail." It just evolved. The DNA of Dim n Den Sum lives on in the fact that Cleveland now has a thriving, diverse food scene where young chefs aren't afraid to take risks. You can't walk through a neighborhood like Gordon Square today without seeing the influence of that scrappy little truck.
What We Get Wrong About the Legacy
Most people think Dim n Den Sum was just about the buns. It wasn't. It was about accessibility. It was about the idea that high-quality, chef-driven food should be for everyone, not just the people who can afford a reservation at a fancy bistro.
There's a misconception that the food truck "trend" is over. It’s not. It’s just become part of the furniture. We take it for granted now that we can get gourmet tacos or vegan soul food from a window on the side of a bus. We wouldn't have that—at least not in Cleveland—without the groundwork laid by the Dim n Den Sum crew.
They also showed that the "lifestyle" of a chef could be different. You didn't have to be a screaming maniac in a tall white hat. You could be a guy in a t-shirt playing loud music and making people happy with a $5 bun.
How to Capture That Vibe Today
If you’re looking to recreate the magic of Dim n Den Sum in your own kitchen or business, you have to lean into the "high-low" philosophy. That means using high-quality techniques on "low-brow" food.
- Focus on Contrast. The secret to their steamed buns was the balance. Soft bread, crunchy pickles, fatty meat, spicy sauce. If your food hits every part of the tongue, people will keep coming back.
- Master the Steam. Steamed buns (bao) are actually pretty easy to make if you have a bamboo steamer. You can find frozen dough at most Asian markets like Park to Shop in Cleveland’s Asiatown.
- Be Authentic, Not Traditional. Dim n Den Sum wasn't trying to be a traditional dim sum parlor in Hong Kong. They were being themselves. They used local ingredients. They made food that made sense for Cleveland.
- Build a Community. Use your platform to talk to people, not at them. The reason people followed that truck wasn't just the food; it was the people inside it.
The truck might be gone, but the lesson remains: Good food doesn't need a front door. It just needs a soul. If you find yourself in Cleveland today, go visit Larder. Order something with koji. You’ll taste the evolution of the same passion that started in a cramped truck over a decade ago.
Actionable Steps for Food Enthusiasts
If you want to experience the culinary legacy of the Dim n Den Sum founders, start by visiting Larder Delicatessen and Bakery in Cleveland's Hingetown neighborhood. Order the fried chicken or any of their pastrami—the fermentation techniques used there are the "final boss" version of the experimentation that started on the truck.
For those who want to cook this way at home, pick up a copy of Koji Alchemy by Jeremy Umansky and Rich Shih. It’s a deep dive into the science of flavor that powered the later years of their culinary journey. It's not a "light read," but it will fundamentally change how you understand salt, mold, and time.
Finally, keep an eye on the Cleveland street food scene via the Cleveland Street Food social media accounts. While the original pioneers have moved on, the infrastructure they built for food trucks still supports dozens of new entrepreneurs every season. Supporting these mobile kitchens is the best way to keep the spirit of Dim n Den Sum alive.