Former top baseball player is now star dumplings chef
Former top baseball player is now star dumplings chef
2026-05-08
In Kaohsiung’s Renwu District, there’s an eatery owned by former baseball star Chen Cheng-chung. Chen was in the CPBL’s Mercuries Tigers team and was the league’s first player in history to hit a grand slam. After his career as a sports star ended, he took over his family’s dumplings business over two decades ago. Let’s meet Chen and find out about his delicious dumplings.
The proprietor skillfully stirs the dumplings in a pot to prevent them from sticking to each other. After about eight minutes, a plate of dumplings is ready to be served.
A dumpling wrapper is gently opened to reveal a generous filling inside. The dumplings come in a variety of flavors, including beef, shrimp and kidney beans. At mealtimes, the eatery is always packed with customers.
Customer
Eating at Chen’s restaurant
It feels just like something cooked at home. I don’t feel like there are many additives. I think they are made with very natural ingredients.
Customer
Eating at Chen’s restaurant
I find this quite inspiring because baseball isn’t something you can do for a lifetime. It’s not easy to find another career, and you’ve got to be willing make sacrifices.
Regulars know that the proprietor, who has developed so many delicious dumplings, was once a national baseball player.
- This photo was taken at the White House; the person on the right is President Ford.
Not only was Chen Cheng-chung part of the Taiwanese team that won the Little League championship in the US in 1974, but he was also the first player in the CPBL to hit a grand slam. After taking over the family dumpling business, Chen said he started from scratch making dumplings and he went through a long adjustment period.
Chen Cheng-chung
Former CPBL baseball player
Making dumplings is actually my family’s business. People told us how to make them, but it still took about two and a half years before things finally stabilized. We tried many things and made many mistakes. We didn’t know which type of pork was best for making dumplings. Each type of pork requires a different combination of ingredients, and that only comes from experience, so we were still figuring it out at that time.
His former career as a player also attracts many longtime fans, some of whom travel from far away to see him.
Chen Cheng-chung
Former CPBL player
Several years ago, a couple came down from Taipei. After we finished eating, the husband took out a ball and said, “This is the ball from the grand slam you hit.” When he handed it to me, I was really happy and thought, “The fans still haven’t forgotten.”
When Chen’s former teammates visit Kaohsiung, they make a point of greeting him. Even after shedding his star player aura and changing his career, he’s still continuing to make an impact thanks to his dumplings.
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愛棒球的餃子! 前職棒球員陳正中談人生轉彎處
2026-05-08
在高雄仁武有一間餃子館，老闆陳正中是當年中職三商虎隊的招牌球星，更是中華職棒史上，打出第一支滿貫砲的球員，離開球場後，接下家業，轉行賣餃子20多年，他說前兩年自己花很多時間調整，才終於進入狀況，希望用自己的故事，鼓勵更多年輕人不要怕失敗。
老闆熟練地攪動熱鍋裡的餃子，避免餃子皮黏鍋，經過大約八分鐘的時間，一盤餃子就可以上桌。
輕輕撥開餃子皮，可以看到裡面內餡扎實，餃子的口味，從牛肉、蝦仁、雲豆，各式各樣，用餐時段更是高朋滿座。
[[用餐民眾]]
“我覺得很像在家裡自己煮的，就是不會覺得有很多的添加物，我覺得那是很天然的食材做的”
[[用餐民眾]]
“我覺得滿勵志的，因為棒球不是可以一輩子做的，那你能夠要轉行是不容易，願意付代價”
老顧客都知道，開發出這麼多美味餃子的老闆，過去曾經是一名棒球國手。
“那時候這一張是在白宮，右邊那個是福特總統”
不僅1974年到美國打少棒勇奪冠軍，陳正中還是中華職棒首位打出滿貫全壘打的的球員，接下家業開始包餃子，陳正中說，一切從頭開始，自己也經歷了很長的一段調適期。
[[前職棒球員 陳正中]]
“光這個餃子，其實這個也是家裡的事業，有講說怎麼做，但是整整大概，兩年半的時間才穩定下來，嘗試過很多東西，也失敗過，什麼豬肉比較適合做餃子，我們都不知道，每一種豬肉的配合，都有它的不同的一個經驗，所以那個時候就還在摸索”
而昔日的球員身分，也讓不少當年的球迷，特地遠道而來。
[[前職棒球員 陳正中]]
“好幾年前，一對夫妻從台北下來，那用完餐之後，他拿出一顆球，他說這一顆球，是你打出滿貫全壘打的那一顆，然後他拿給我的時候，我就真的是很高興說，球迷還是沒有忘記”
老隊友們到高雄，也會特地來打招呼，就算褪下明星球員光環，轉換身分，還是靠著餃子，繼續發光發熱。
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