Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crispy Edge is moving full speed.
Owner David Dresner opened the city’s first potsticker-themed restaurant early in 2018 and quickly developed a local wholesale market for the myriad varieties of sweet and savory potstickers that his team manufactured in the same building.
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The Tower Grove South company is now one of two Missouri businesses to gain federal certification through the USDA’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment program, which opens the door to national distribution of its frozen potstickers.
Crispy Edge worked “tirelessly” with the USDA and Missouri Department of Agriculture to get the certification, says Dresner.
“We were really excited to do it. Not only does it open up new markets, but in these times, it’s the type of aggressive pivoting we needed to stay relevant and on a path of growth,” Dresner says. “St. Louis is our gateway to the nation.”
If all goes to plan, Crispy Edge’s potstickers should hit shelves outside of Missouri by the end of next year. They will be available in border states first, and the company is “moving as fast as possible” to distribute beyond those states, Dresner says.
The national expansion comes on the heels of rapid growth for the company. In April 2020, Crispy Edge inked a deal with Schnucks to provide its potstickers to 50 stores across the St. Louis area. The company also sells its potstickers at other local grocers including Dierbergs, Straub’s, and Local Harvest, and continues to supply wholesale clients.
Favorite potsticker renditions include Cheeseburger (with onion dough, cheeseburger filling, bibb lettuce wrap, tomato mayo, and dill relish) Traditional (with crispy edge dough, ginger pork and cabbage filling, and citrus ponzu glaze), Buffalo Chicken (with garlic herb dough, chicken filling, and buffalo glaze), and Chorizo Date (with turmeric dough, chorizo and date filling, and lemon pepper cream).
Crispy Edge also sells some of its popular vegan potstickers, including Lemongrass Chicken (with lemon pepper dough, plant-based chicken and lemongrass filling, and coconut kaffir lime cream).
