Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Tulio and Kevin Achico.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We love to eat! Plain and simple. I used to take pictures of my food and put it on my private Instagram just for fun. A lot of our friends started telling me they would go eat somewhere after seeing one of our pictures, and then more and more friends would ask us for food recommendations. We figured we could make a public account just for our food adventures so that, when people ask us what’s good to eat in Houston, we could just show them right then and there.
Our very first public foodventures started with Aces of Taste, where we met up with other food lovers to eat from special menus handcrafted by chefs all over the Houston area. That’s where a majority of our food pictures originally came from. Once our following started to grow, we realized we could do the same thing for other restaurants we liked.
We chose the name Spoonrise Kingdom based off of our mutual appreciation for Wes Anderson films coupled with our struggle to pick a name that wasn’t already taken (the struggle was REAL). We don’t consider ourselves true foodies; we’re by no means experts on taste, presentation, or restaurant entrepreneurship. We just like to eat, and we wanted to share our foodventures with food lovers everywhere!
Has it been a smooth road?
Long distance happened! I was still in pharmacy school, so my free time was already limited, and then Kevin moved to New York for work. It was tough! But we found out that Spoonrise could still continue. Instead of covering one city, we could do two. It was a great way to maintain our LDR since we got to bond over the different foods we got to try in our own cities.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We think every meal should be special, and that the experience should be memorable. We strive to discover new places for people who haven’t found them yet, and we want to share our experiences with the world. We’re not chefs or food critics, and we have no culinary background. We’re just two weirdos looking for a good bite to eat.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Of course! People often overlook Houston and see it only as an oil and gas city, but it’s really growing into a destination for all food lovers. This city is so diverse, and our people come from all over the world. The food culture is definitely starting to reflect that.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/SpoonriseKingdom
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
