With a menu that encompasses traditional Taiwanese cuisine like beef noodle soup and American Chinese fare like orange chicken, Kitchen Master strives to “give the community what they want,” General Manager Melisssa Young said.

Kitchen Master was opened in 2020 by Ian Peng.

On the menu

The top selling menu items at Kitchen Master are dumplings, which are made in the dumpling station visible from the dining area.

“You can watch them hand make just about anything—from your dumplings to your pot stickers to the buns,” Young said. “It’s a very popular attraction.”


Culinary Director Sam Chang has been instrumental in rolling out popular new menu items including braised beef wraps, hand-pulled noodles and chocolate buns, which Young describes as being filled with a “liquidy chocolate.”
Braised beef wrap ($14) featured braised beef wrapped in a scallion pancake and brushed with savory soy glaze. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
Braised beef wrap ($14) features braised beef wrapped in a scallion pancake and brushed with savory soy glaze. (Karen Chaney/Community Impact)


Because Young is not Taiwanese, she realizes some Taiwanese cuisine is an acquired taste and she is happy to help customers familiarize themselves with flavors before deciding on a dish.

“Our beef noodle soup is a very popular Taiwanese dish. Almost every Taiwanese person that comes here orders it because it's that authentic,” Young said. “It's a very acquired taste. It has star anise in it. I always try to give them a little sample of the broth to try to make sure they like it before they order it.”

Meet the general manager


Peng hired Young to be the restaurant’s hostess prior to the restaurant opening in March 2020. As the restaurant progressed from a to-go establishment due to COVID-19 restrictions to dine-in, Young’s responsibilities grew from taking to-go orders, to hiring and training staff to general manager.

“We reach so many different ethnicities. It's amazing to see everybody enjoy their food, talk and be with each other—it is such a homey feeling,” Young said. “I love being able to communicate with everybody, and I think that's what I enjoy most about being the general manager.”

Going forward

In addition to the flagship Kitchen Master in Frisco, there are also locations open in Georgia and Taiwan and a fourth location is slated to open in December or January in Southlake, said Young


“[Peng] has always been really big into cooking. He grew up in Taiwan and cooked with his parents and grandparents,” Young said. “He saw [opening Kitchen Master] as a very good opportunity because this is a wonderful community and he always wanted to share the culture with everyone.”