Welcome to Partner Provisions, where we introduce you to the incredible people and stories behind the restaurants, food trucks and caterers helping Zerocater feed the workforce – breakfast, lunch, dinner and every meal in between.
- Name: Jazz Souisay and David Prettyman
- Restaurant: Bali Kitchen
- Cuisine: Indonesian
- City: New York
- Website: https://balikitchennyc.com
- Instagram Handle: @balikitchen
- Twitter Handle: @balikitchennyc
In one sentence tell us who Bali Kitchen is
Bali Kitchen seeks to introduce Americans to Indonesian food.
Tell us about Bali Kitchen!
When we moved to the U.S. from Indonesia in 2012 we were frustrated to find that very few Americans were familiar with Indonesian cuisine. There are Thai, Japanese or Vietnamese restaurants on every block and yet, despite being the fourth largest country in the world, there were very few places to eat Indonesian food. Our mission is to introduce the food of this vast country to the American people and do it in a way that is healthy, environmentally friendly, and fun!
What was the very first menu item?
Nasi Beef Rendang, beef slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices served on a bed of jasmine rice with vegetables and two types of sambal, an Indonesian-style salsa.
Tell us about one of your signature dishes!
Our house special, Nasi Campur Bali, or Balinese-style mixed rice. It starts with a bowl of fragrant jasmine rice on a banana leaf that is topped with a delicious sampling of items including betutu chicken or tofu, Chinese long bean, tempeh, sate lilit fish or veggie, hard-boiled egg, sambal balado, lodeh broth, shredded coconut, fried shallots, and tempeh cracker. This classic dish provides our customers with a culinary tour of the great tastes of Bali and is an excellent introduction to Indonesian cuisine.
What is one thing not many know about Bali Kitchen?
We are concerned about the environment and use compostable plates and serving utensils as much as possible. We have also designed our menu so that any item can be made “vegan” if that is what a customer wants.
What’s your favorite thing about feeding companies?
We are excited about the reaction from the offices when they realize we are providing a new dining experience. Very few have had Indonesian food and they often cannot wait until we are finished setting up to start digging in!
What do you like most about partnering with Zerocater?
Zerocater is very organized and provides good advance notice of catering orders so that we can be sure to provide the best possible service to our customers.
Tell us about a time where Bali Kitchen brought people together or helped to foster community.
Bali Kitchen helps to sponsor the Indonesian Gastronomy Association (IGA), which is a group of New York-based small restaurants and home-based entrepreneurs that sponsors monthly food and cultural events for the Indonesian community in Elmhurst, Queens. These monthly events are a great opportunity for the Indonesian community to come together while at the same time promoting their beautiful country to Americans and New Yorkers.
What is your biggest challenge as a restaurateur or chef?
New Yorkers have a huge variety of restaurants and cuisines from which to choose. Our biggest challenge is getting them to spend their hard-earned dollars on something new. Once they have tasted what we are offering, they always come back for more!
What piece of advice would you offer to someone starting out in the food industry?
Allow yourself time to become established and find success, particularly if you are offering something new. Have faith in the quality of your product and eventually you will be a success.
Where do you see Bali Kitchen in the future?
Our dream is that Indonesian food will eventually receive the respect and popularity it deserves. Who knows? Maybe someday nasi goreng and beef rendang will be as familiar as pad thai and ramen. Our company would like to contribute to this process by expanding our operations and possibly opening additional quick-service restaurants featuring regional cuisines from other parts of Indonesia. This is our dream and we are grateful to Zerocater for selecting us to be one of its restaurant partners.
