#bigbargaineats

[starrykitchen]

So here’s how much of a f’up I am🙋‍♂️: SO I was waiting to make this post TODAY to be all poignant in timing and as an inspirational message to plug my (FREE) @lapubliclibrary #LAMade book talk/signing+potentially one-man show kinda story time/entertainment/experiment on July 15th (👉 http://bit.ly/lamadesk 🙏🙇‍♂️😉) thinking today was the 1 year anniversary of when my/our #adventuresinstarrykitchen book got published… except YESTERDAY was the anniversary!!! 😅🤫🤣 …but 9+ years into the SK experiment- @buttonmashla +our grub is still going strong, I shot a @foodnetwork two-episode pilot called #BigBargainEats (still waiting to see what happens 🤞😬) and a year+1 DAY ago I/WE published a BOOK that I was lucky enough to travel to 9 countries in 3 weeks in Asia to get inspiration+shoot photography for, spent 2 years of my life working/writing/collaborating on AND… it’s still so very special to me that I still don’t know/ask/want to know if the book is a financial/sales success, failure OR anything BECAUSE I got the opportunity to do this in my life, I don’t want to lose sight of that and I’ll always cherish my publisher(‘s mistake… hope I get another chance for them to make another mistake?!? 😉😬🙏😅) for taking a chance on me. But hey, come out July 15th if you can, and maybe learn a little more about us in the process to understand why I/we/…ok I am SOOOOOOOO illogically “crazy”… oh yeah, in the mean time enjoy just SOME of the different iterations/evolution of the cover that I included the incredibly talented @joseph_harmon worked on (and ALL of them that I still love🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️) #failingupwards (at Banana Suit Enterprises)

[starrykitchen]

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom @minhsuong75 who I’m sure when she fled Vietnam+had me she TOTALLY envisioned having/tolerating a pre-med quitting, unused computer science degree wielding, underground restaurant instigating, banana suit wearing, double entendre dropping, book writing and a @foodnetwork tv pilot hosting (#BigBargainEats on right now LOL😅) son.🙋‍♂️ And also of COURSE the mother of cutest lil Cillían, @skkitchenninja, who I’m sure ALSO envisioned marrying that exact man(-boy) that my mom “thought” I’d be. 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks you two.🙇‍♂️🙏🙇‍♂️ Love y’all lots. And thanks for (not leaving me😬 and) being in my life. 👍 #adventuresinstarrykitchen (at Banana Suit Enterprises)

[starrykitchen]

SOOOOOOOOO if you didn’t know it already, I kinda-sorta got this @foodnetwork 2 episode TV pilot/show “thing” called #BigBargainEats 🤗 that I’m very proud of and appreciative to have worked on (that @giadadelaurentiis Exec Produced😱😱😱), would love to be Hollywood-like “greenlit” into a FULL SERIES (of sharing amazingly delicious deals, making amazing new friends and just seeing more of America sharing the love for all the great stories out there🇺🇸) AND... would love y’alls support for the encore by watching BOTH episodes this Sunday (3p ET / 2p CT), telling ppl about it (if you watched it before, or if you just wanna support🙏🙇‍♂️), sharing info about it and just give it a fighting chance so the big wigs (of which they are MOST curious to see how many ppl stay watching starting from the first episode to THRU the second🙏🙏🙏) might be like, “🤔 Hey, MAYBE there should be more of this show with this goofball.👍” And I KNOW it’s playing on Mother’s Day, but if you’re chillin’ around a tv after your brunch-liciousness or similarly maternal loving activities... check it out! (Oh, and for those that wonder why I don’t bombard ya [like I used to] with the social media[s], the next pic should explain it all. Look at Cillían, he’s SO cuuuuuuuute and I will say, super hilarious and tons o’ fun. No time for constant social media when I’m hangin’ with THIS kid.🙋‍♂️👉👦) #adventuresinstarrykitchen #cillíanthecute (at Banana Suit Enterprises)

[starrykitchen]

SO I have a tv pilot/show premiering on @foodnetwork THIS Saturday, March 17th called #BigBargainEats which I hope you’ll watch/DVR/troll/whatevs 😅🙏👍... which I’m adding to a CRAZY list of surprising accomplishments (that I should emphasize I am DEEPLY proud of, and no one can take that away from ME😝) that are astounding to me so we’ll start with that: I was never supposed to have a tv pilot where I travel, eat and get to be myself. I was never supposed to be interviewed on @NPR. I was never supposed to publish a book. I was never supposed to travel all over Asia just to shoot photography FOR that book. I was never supposed to land on @laweekly’s essential 99 list. I was never supposed to work w/ a fan and open a bar/arcade/asian restaurant. I was never supposed to have a CUUUUUUUUUUTE child. I was never supposed to completely quit, come back and break @ubereats. I was never supposed to be on @thejgold’s 101 best restaurant list a 2nd time. I was never supposed to be invited by our friend @ridingshotgunla to be part of the resurrection of Chinatown. I was never supposed to have @626nightmarket booth. I was never supposed to have a farmers market booth. I was never supposed to get away with throwing marijuana dinners. I was never supposed to get away with smuggling illegal ant eggs. I was never supposed to partner up w/ a fancy French chef friend to do the marijuana dinners, smuggle illegal ant eggs.. and I forgot to mention do 19-course white truffle menu with. I was never supposed get away passionately cursing when describing our food. I was never supposed to wear a banana suit and succeed. I was never supposed to open a lunch restaurant. I was never supposed to run a successful illegal+underground restaurant with my wife. I was never supposed to leave film. I was never supposed to be in film. I was never supposed to leave Texas. I was never supposed to amount to anything... and here I/we am/are, still #failingupwards. 🤷‍♂️ Oh, most important- I was never meant to meet SO many of YOU amazing people, become friends with so many of you and be able to share all this craziness with you (amongst many, MANY other things). XOXO, 😬 (at Banana Suit Enterprises)