From left: Celene, Ayu, Tara, Ketut Siwi & Suar Mini at home in Campuan

How it all began

Like any family origin story, ours is a meandering one. So here's the short version: we grew up in Bali, Indonesia. It was our first home. We were fortunate to spend our formative years in a vibrant and peaceful place, an artistic heartland distinguished for the beauty of its spirit and exceptional food.

Throughout our lives, we’ve learned how to prepare Indonesian dishes, thanks to our Ibus' teachings. But as a doula (Celene) and makeup artist (Tara), we never considered cooking as a career. In 2020, everything changed: the onset of Covid-19 left us both jobless. For the first time in ten years, we were reunited under the same roof.

In our wandering excursions around LA, we stumbled upon familiar ingredients that got our gears turning: fresh galangal in Thai Town, long beans in Chinatown, banana leaves (that weren't frozen!) in East LA. Restaurants were closed, and there was no end in sight. So we dreamt up a new path, one where we could work and play as partners. We planned a menu, set up a backdrop in our driveway, sold 100 banana leaf bundles of rice, curry, and veggies, and Bungkus Bagus ("Good Package") was born.

We hope you enjoy our love letter to Bali, to the beautiful people and place that shaped us.

Terima kasih dan ayo makan!

Sisters Celene & Tara Carrara

  • Two women, sisters Celene and Tara, waring light colored blouses and denim pants. They are sitting in antique chairs in a room with beige curtains and cream colored walls.
  • A young girl dressed in traditional Indonesian temple garments. She is giggling in the garden, next to tropical flowers. There are stone steps in the background.
  • A young baby girl dressed in traditional Indonesian temple garments, playing with a cup of water. She stands on grass, with tropical flowers at her feet. Stone steps covered in jungle vines are in the background.
  • The team of Bungkus Bagus poses in front of a blue and rattan pop-up tent. Above them is a white and blue sign that reads, "Bungkus Bagus, Balinese Street Food." A yellow-orange Balinese umbrella rests at the right side.
  • Sisters and founders, Celene and Tara, pose in black shirts on either side of their Indonesian pop-up menu. A photo of their Nasi Bungkus is presented below.
  • Two women sit and eat lunch on a straw mat in Indonesia. In the background is a decorative gold door with stone carvings.
  • A group of people kneel in prayer on stone tiles at a traditional Balinese water temple.
  • Two women gaze at each other, smiling, wearing light colored blouses and blue denim pants. They are sitting in front of cream colored curtains on antique brown chairs.

Watch Our Feature for the LA Times