Michelin-Star Restaurant Making It with Kickstarter

New Zealand chef Matt Lambert is earning plenty of buzz for his inventive cuisine at his New York restaurant The Musket Room, but the story of how it got started is equally intriguing, Business Insider reporter Madeline Stone writes.

In 2013, after years of cooking in New York City kitchens – Public, Double Crown, and Saxon + Parole, to name a few – Lambert decided it was time to open his own restaurant.

He turned to Kickstarter for help, ultimately raising $25,636 from 123 interested backers. Just four months after opening, the restaurant earned a Michelin star.

Lambert said: “Instead of going back to our investors and asking for additional funding [to purchase kitchen appliances] we turned to Kickstarter for the final push to get us over the finish line. It was a nice way to get support from the public as well … from people other than just our friends and family so early on.

“Kickstarter was a fun experiment in selling people on The Musket Room before it even opened.”

On his Michelin star, Lambert said: “If I’m honest, that day we received word I tore up a little on the line – it was such a professional honour to receive. Only problem is now, we’re left to figure out what’s next!”

Original article by Madeline Stone, Business Insider, April 5, 2014.

Photo by The Musket Room.