Meet Eric Tjahyadi | Managing Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Tjahyadi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Bone Kettle is an elevated chef-driven Southeast Asian restaurant, an idea that seemed super unlikely even in LA’s vibrant food scene when we started. Years ago, most of LA’s Southeast Asian food businesses were moms and pops businesses geared to service a particular community and limited to those communities. Despite the limited offerings, we knew that there is a healthy appetite for our cuisine and a void in this particular category. Our vision for Bone Kettle was to set up a restaurant feels elegant, elevated, dignified and most importantly- accessible to a larger audience of foodies.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What I am proud about my time building Bone Kettle is the number of times we successfully overcome obstacles through grit and creativity. Having a business is about facing challenges head on and overcoming on a regular basis. We recently celebrated 7 years in business and every year is a different challenge, change is the only constant.

Another proud accomplishment is our success in building an employee culture of hard work, compassion and kindness; in fact, it’s incredible when we get to impact our young employees as they grow professionally and personally. What I learned along the way is that its not just about creating a business for income/revenue but building a sustainable ecosystem of people and process while creating work that is meaningful.

Lastly, I also love that the restaurant became more than just a place but a space of connection, memories and important life moments. We have hosted so many beautiful birthday celebrations, graduations, life moments, even first dates that turned into marriages.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
What I love about Pasadena is that you can really do it all. The city is so rich with history, wonderful restaurants, shopping, arts/museums, recreational outlets and culture. I love walking around Old Town Pasadena and enjoy sightseeing of old historic buildings and places. I would always take a non local friend over to Huntington Library for a bit of nature and arts. I also enjoy trying out all kinds of unique cuisine in Pasadena and nearby neighboring cities i.e Highland Park and the San Gabriel Valley. My favorite bowling alley is the Highland Park Bowl. I enjoy movies at the Ipic Theatre. I love all the nearby hiking trails. I love flea market shopping at the Rose Bowl while driving around beautiful homes in this neighborhood.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Bone Kettle is a success due to the devotion of my family. This is after all a family owned and operated business. My father, who already retired, left retirement and dedicates his waking hours to run this business with him. Now in his 70s, he is still the engine that keeps the business running- his commitment to our business and to me motivate me to work even harder. His voice is very influential in my life.

Website: www.bonekettle.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bonekettle

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erictjahyadi/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bone-kettle-pasadena