Ben Moore is a Partner and Co-Founder of Mamahuhu, a fast casual Chinese American restaurant concept that puts a modern spin on classic Chinese American favorites. In this interview Ben shares the story of how he fell in love with Chinese culture after living in Shanghai, was ultimately inspired to modernize Chinese American cuisine back in the States, then teamed up with a dream culinary partner in Brandon Jew, owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco.
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Where to find Mamahuhu:
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Where to find Ben:
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Where to find Bryan:
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Where to find Kitava:
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In this episode, we cover:
- (01:54) Ben’s early introduction to Chinese culture
- (03:25) What Ben was attracted to in the culture of Shanghai
- (04:40) Meeting his first business partner and the early seeds of the idea that became Mamahuhu
- (07:25) Ben’s two-pronged interest in food
- (10:38) Why Ben and sought out a culinary partner for Mamahuhu
- (12:00) Meeting Brandon Jew for the first time
- (14:20) How they funded Mamahuhu
- (16:48) Setting up their business structure
- (18:38) Figuring out how to divide up ownership among the co-founders
- (22:45) Coming up with the menu for Mamahuhu
- (23:50) Testing one of their early ideas as a digital pop-up through Caviar
- (29:59) The inspiration behind creating a modern take on Chinese American cuisine
- (34:09) Mamahuhu’s food values
- (39:02) Using simpler ingredients to create higher quality meals that meet their food values and business needs
- (45:07) What the opening process was like for Mamahuhu, both before and through the Covid-19 pandemic
- (50:50) When they knew the business was going to work
- (52:03) Where Mamahuhu is today, and their future goals
- (53:58) The criteria they use to choose new neighborhoods for potential expansion