The Starry Kitchen Story – From Illegal Restaurant to an Ambitious Kickstarter Campaign

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It is not unusual to find Nguyen Tran of Starry Kitchen wearing a banana suit. Image via starrykitchen.com


When Nguyen Tran and his wife Thi opened Starry Kitchen it was a part time restaurant operating out of their tiny apartment in North Hollywood. Six years and three brick and mortar locations later, the couple has gone to Kickstarter with an ambitious campaign to #SaveOurBalls (meaning the deep fried tofu balls of course.)

The 30 day, $500,000 campaign is risky and ambitious, but owner Nguyen Tran says this is the restaurant’s “go big, or go home” moment. Those interested in pledging will be happy to note the list of rewards which range from free food to a permanent unicorn tattoo featuring your face on Nguyen’s forearm.

The campaign ends on February 1st. At the time of publication they have raised over $98,000.