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