Hidden Gems: Meet Starrlite DeCook of Fat Tiger Korean BBQ & More

Today we’d like to introduce you to Starrlite DeCook.

Hi Starrlite, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Both my husband and I have always had a passion for cooking and making people happy with the food we can make. David, my husband, started cooking in restaurants as a teen but left the industry in his 20s to pursue another career. I had a dream of opening my own restaurant ever since I was about 5-6 years old. I even wrote my bachelor’s thesis on it (a business plan to open a Korean restaurant). It was always something that was on the back of my mind as something I wanted to do but never had the right “moment”. Over the years, I kept my pulse on dining trends, marketing, branding, etc., which play a huge part in being successful in this industry. My husband and I met working for a large food distributor, and we met here in Dickson. I remember coming here for the first time in 2017 and thinking “Man, a Korean restaurant would do so well here.” Due to a complete lack of authentic ethnic cuisine. My husband quit his job shortly before the pandemic started to change careers, and it was actually my dad that nudged us to look into opening a restaurant of our own. We thought about it, crunched some numbers, and realized it is actually something we could accomplish now. Then everything started to fall into place- it was definitely an “It will come when you are ready for it” moment for us. We secured our location and had the best luck in finding equipment- although not smooth sailing as our renovations took 10 months, we were finally able to open at the end of October 2021 in White Bluff, TN – 30 minutes outside of Nashville.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Most definitely not! It was an exhausting experience to get to the point where we can open our doors to customers. Neither one of us has built a restaurant from the ground up, so we learned so much and overcame so many challenges. We do not have investors, it was strictly our own money, blood, sweat, and tears. Parts of our property have been around since the late 1800s, and it had as many surprises as its age. With both of our backgrounds, we were able to design the kitchen in the most efficient way, layout our dining rooms, and do the “restaurant” side of things rather easily- but the construction/renovation part was arduous and difficult. We still joke about our place being a “fun house”, as nothing is square in the existing structure. But we love every bit of it, it definitely has the charm that cannot be reproduced.

As you know, we’re big fans of Fat Tiger Korean BBQ & More. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a casual Korean restaurant that serves authentic Korean food- not just Korean bbq items but also homestyle meals and street foods- we change up our specials every other week, to give everyone an opportunity to try what Koreans eat now on a daily basis. From street-style toast, spicy rice cakes, Korean-style curry, and so much more. We do have a base menu of authentic Korean items that we execute extremely well, with several of the recipes being several generations old. Our Korean fried chicken is a family recipe passed down from my grandmother and it’s definitely one of our most popular items.

We are different from other Korean restaurants for so many things- our restaurant does not look like a typical Asian place- we look more like an old-timey southern diner, with antiques and wood paneling everywhere. It’s a perfect blend of my husband and me. We also do non-Korean specials, ranging from lamb shepherd’s pie on St. Patrick’s day and authentic Italian dishes based on family recipes (our Kitchen manager, Eugene is Italian, and I also have a Sicilian grandfather). Although our main focus is Korean food, our objective is to serve fresh, made from the scratch delicious food that really touches your soul.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Making food with my grandmother! I grew up in Korea and lived there for 20 years, and always lived with or near my grandmother. She put me to “work” as a helper in the kitchen at home starting when I was 7-8 years old. She taught me the joys of making food and how to put love into it. The little things you do can make a huge impact when it comes to making food, and I got to learn that first hand.

Pricing:

• Appetizers $5 – $14
• Mains $12 – $25

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.fattiger.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fat_tiger_kbbq_tn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fattigerkbbqandmore

Image Credits
Seiji Inouye