We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara & Celene Carrara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara & Celene, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
We are both big Tom Robbins fans, with our favorite of his novels being “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.” It’s a ridiculous romp and a spiritual guide all wrapped in one hilarious, profound, moving story. It’s about a girl from the rural south who’s born with abnormally large thumbs, and how she uses those thumbs to hitchhike across America and discover great things. There’s one quote in particular that always stuck with us, acted as a kind of North Star in our own meanderings, that goes, “She employs the Great Secret to turn her predicament into an educational, if not entertaining, experience.” What is the Great Secret? We’ve been wondering our whole lives, it seems, but every day we seem to get a little bit closer to understanding. We believe it has something to do with accepting one’s own “thumbs,” certainly. Seeking to know our world, and to find some novelty and meaning in the twists and turns. Our journey with this business has absolutely felt like Sissy’s journey to the Rubber Rose Ranch. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense how we got here, and yet it makes perfect sense… if that makes sense.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We were raised in Bali, Indonesia, and after moving back to the States, spent many summers living with our Dad outside of Ubud. Balinese food is central to our tastes and preferences, and we’ve spent years trying to figure out how to make dishes that tasted true to our memory while in LA. After the onset of Covid-19, we found ourselves out of work, adrift without a clear direction forward. Then we found fresh banana leaves at Vallarta market in Pasadena and realized we could make a real Balinese “nasi bungkus” – or “rice wrapped to go” – which is something we’ve never quite nailed. Our partners encouraged us to make nasi bungkus for our friends, to host a casual pop-up in our driveway, as so many other folks were doing at the time. So we spent a few weeks recipe testing, going to seemingly every Asian grocery store in LA, discovering ingredients otherwise lost to us: galangal, long beans, bird’s eye chilis, rhizome root. The first pop-up was a huge success, then the second, then the third – and it all just snowballed from there. We built a website, a following, and a pre-order system that carried us through the next year. Miraculously, it became our full-time job. We brought on employees and grew the operation all the way to Smorgasburg LA, where we find our current home every Sunday.

It’s so true that anything worth doing won’t be easy, but easy is not what we seek. Our vision from the beginning of this project was to create the flavor combinations and textures from our childhood and share them with other Angelenos, especially the Indonesian immigrants missing home. Bungkus Bagus has been our love letter to Bali, to the people and place that made us who we are. But we have truly poured blood, sweat and tears into every facet of this business. Any cook will tell you that the physical toll is massive, even with help. And any small business owner will tell you that the back end is just as grueling as the forward-facing operation. Not to mention, having a social media presence is a new and intimidating challenge for us both. As we told our accountant the other day, we’re tired but happy. And she, in her wisdom, said back to us, “That’s a good sign – you know you’re doing your job.”

We are Celene and Tara, two sisters who run a Los Angeles-based Balinese street food pop-up called Bungkus Bagus (translation: “good package”). Our food isn’t strictly “Balinese,” as the thousands of islands in Indonesia inevitably influence each other’s cuisine; but our focus is on the flavors and textures we grew up loving in our first home of Ubud, Bali. The star of our menu is the Nasi Bungkus: eight dishes, including coconut rice, chicken curry, spicy/sweet tempe, long bean with toasted coconut, peanuts and desiccated pork, all wrapped in a fresh banana leaf. Unfolding the bungkus is like opening a gift – not only is it delicious, but it’s fun to eat! Included in every bungkus is a sprinkling of our Sambal Goreng or fried chili topping. We hand cut shallots, garlic and Thai chilis, then deep fry them and sprinkle them with coarse salt. Sambal Goreng is an addicting and versatile dish that pairs well with just about everything. We also make Kueh Lapis, a bouncy rainbow layer cake found in markets all over southeast Asia, but especially in (our favorite) the pasar malam, or “night market,” in Bali. Rounding out our menu are our Forbidden Rice Pudding with sweet and savory coconut milk and Es Cendol, a popular drinkable dessert with red bean, jackfruit, and the famous “green worm” dawet jellies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For sites, our favorite place in LA is hands down the Huntington Gardens & Library in Pasadena. We are also big fans of the Angeles Crest highway, which winds up into the mountains behind La Canada, and eventually leads you to the Mt Wilson Observatory, which actually hosts live music shows now! That highway has tons of great hikes that splinter off, so you can escape the city so easily. We also love all of the hiking in Altadena and above Sierra Madre. For food, we frequent Quarter Sheets Pizza in Echo Park, Dune in Atwater, Mariscos Jalisco and Bee Taqueria in Boyle Heights, Evil Cooks in El Sereno, Amboy and Katsu Sando in Chinatown, Joy in Highland Park, Bavelle in the Arts Disctrict, Felix in Venice… the list goes on! For venues, our favorite is Largo, followed closely by the Comedy Store. Our good friend Jesus Trejo is a stand up comedian and performs there often – if you can catch him, you absolutely should!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We owe our success to so many people! Our family members were our first taste-testers and cheerleaders. Our partners, Joe and Justin, were the ones who encouraged us to do our first pop-up, and helped us execute the whole ordeal with infinite patience and grace. We’ve had so many chef mentors: Alvin Cailan of Eggslut and Amboy, Keegan Fong of Woon, Alex and Elvia of Evil Cooks, Vivian Ku of Pine & Crane and Joy. They have been so generous with their time, advice and connections. And our fellow new pop-up buddies, too: Aaron and Hannah of Quarter Sheets Pizza/House of Gluten, Colin and Katie of Yellow Paper Burger, Rhea and Marcel of Saucy Chick Rotisserie. They are such supportive peers and all rockstars in their own right. And most importantly, the core of the business, our employees, who are our family now – Nina, Ines, Alex, Dwinisa, Ethan, and most recently, our sister Tika. We spend most days together grinding in the kitchen with them and they are truly a crew sent from heaven.

Website: www.BungkusBagusLA.com

Instagram: @BungkusBagusLA

Image Credits
@PatrickinLA

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