The Musket Room
Chef Matt Lambert in the Musket Room's backyard garden.
Chef and New Zealand native Matt Lambert is bringing a touch of Kiwi culture to New York City's trendy Nolita neighborhood. His year-old restaurant, The Musket Room, is earning plenty of buzz for its inventive cuisine, but the story of how it got started is equally intriguing.
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.
Click here to see what it was like to dine at the Musket Room »
We caught up with Chef Lambert to find out more about the Musket Room.
Business Insider: Why did you use Kickstarter to launch the Musket Room?
Matt Lambert: Once we started construction on the restaurant, we realized that there was a better way to utilize our space in the kitchen. Instead of going back to our investors and asking for additional funding for this small project, 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.
BI: What was the Kickstarter experience like?
ML: For us, Kickstarter was a fun experiment in selling people on The Musket Room before it even opened. We created a video about the project and were so excited to see the participation grow and grow, until we finally met our fundraising goal.
BI: What specifically did you use the funds for?
ML: The last funding that we received through Kickstarter helped us get our kitchen set up. We purchased a combi oven, which we use every day for everything from roasting ingredients to baking bread.
BI: Where did you get the inspiration for the name of your restaurant?
ML: Basically, it’s the connection to the time period in New Zealand of the Musket Wars in the 1800s. Apart from the obvious connotation of muskets, it’s about that period when there was so much discovery and adventure going on. The Musket Room is a modern approach to the country’s culinary past.
The Musket RoomThe Musket Room is on Elizabeth Street in Nolita. BI: What do you like most about the space?
ML: This was actually our dream space. It used to be The Elizabeth, and when it became available, we jumped on it. The location is great; I’ve actually worked in this neighborhood for about six years, so it just felt like the right place to open my own space.