For a decade, Moonshine 152 has been delivering delicious food and fun drinks to the neighborhood of South Boston!  We recently asked owner and chef Asia Mei 10 questions to celebrate 10 years in the the community!

What made you become a chef?

I had spent my entire life and college time searching for a way to marry my passions for dynamic atmospheres and learning/education with a career.  I had always loved food, school, and sports… and also always known that the office atmosphere wasn’t for me.  However, I didn’t know how to cook a thing and had zero idea about the hospitality and restaurant business. While I’d done all the proper resume building with internships, jobs, and studies, the only job that I had found to date that really inspired me was doing stuntwork in Hollywood.  Then by sheer accident, I stumbled upon the world of the professional kitchen during my last year at Boston College, and discovered that if I taught myself to cook, I could be a part of this crazy industry.  Back then, the plan was never to become a “chef”, but it was to learn to cook and master the exciting–and wildly challenging– hotline that I saw all the other cooks doing.  As the years went by, the goal to become a chef and owner of a restaurant was just the natural progression of things.  

How did you become the owner of Moonshine 152?

When I opened up Moonshine 152, I had already had a long standing career in the Boston culinary scene of about a dozen years.  This was mainly constituted of blazing my way through some of the city’s most celebrated and hardest kitchen lines, along with also working in other challenging aspects of the industry, such as when I was the executive chef of Whole Foods.  In hindsight, I think I chose all these different workplaces because I was searching for what meant the most to me in each job.  When it came to my own place, what would be important to me?  Each position was a very illuminating, whether it reflected what I would do or what I wouldn’t.  Eventually, the opportunity to make Moonshine into my very first solo venture as a chef and owner seemed to offer everything I wanted to make a real difference as a small, local, and unique neighborhood business.  

What does the name Moonshine 152 mean?

Not a lot of people know this, but previous to Moonshine, the space hosted Southie’s renowned Franklin Southie.  I was their head chef at the location during their 3rd/4th year, and fell in love with the space and the late night/restaurant industry based vibes.  “152” refers to the numeric address on Dorchester Ave, but the “Moonshine” aspect of the name refers to how we wanted to maintain our dedication to the late night, elicit, and fun energies of the old Franklin space.  When I was working all those late nights, it always felt to me that once the sun went down and the moon came up, this was exactly the type of special hub that all of the different people could come and commiserate in.  Ironically enough, after the pandemic changed the world, we don’t do the late night currently and the daytime weekend brunches have gotten huge attention and just as many accolades as the dinner! I joke that if I had a clone, I’d open up a diner named “Sunshine.”

What is your most popular item on the menu?

That’s always a really hard question, as at this point, EVERYTHING on the menu has a cult-like following. From the Burger of the Month and Best in Boston Veggie Burgers to the amazing tacos and fried rice dishes, they’re all classics here.  However, I’d say that overall, the Fried Chicken here has easily gotten the most awards.  More importantly, I hear “This is the best I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m from the South” at least three times a day, and it’s that kind of compliment that really lets me know that we’re on the right track.  After the first couple of years where the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings garnered such attention, there is now an entree on the menu as well, which is just as popular.  That’s my version of “Fried Chicken n’Waffles”, and it is unbelievably delicious. 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since owning your own restaurant?

I think the biggest, and hardest, lesson is that it never gets any easier.  I am so proud of my entire team and many of them have been with me for all 10 years, if not longer before Moonshine even existed.  Back in the day when we first opened, it seemed like if we ever got to a certain point, it would have felt like we’d “made it” and not have to be so concerned with what it took to simply stay open.  10 years is a long time for a small local restaurant, and it’s A LOT to be proud of, but after things like the pandemic and current economies, I can guarantee that things don’t ever get any easier.  They just evolve and priorities shift.  That’s not a bad thing though… I do believe that “learning” that facilitated my own ability to lead a team through some very difficult times and still come out together.  Most restaurants in this business couldn’t say the same.  

When you’re not working, where are some of your favorite spots to go out to eat?

Since I don’t take any days off, this really doesn’t happen very much… however, if there is a rare opportunity to get out of my Moonshine bubble, you will most likely find me at Estragon in the South End.  I have been obsessed with that place since my first time a dozen years ago, and their crew feels like family to ours.  I also love to venture to wherever my industry friends and supporters happen to be working, like visiting Kiko Dutra at Boston Chops, Sahil Mehta at Estragon, or Peter Cipriani at the new Shawmut Inn.  Otherwise, Chinatown and a lot of the Quincy Asian eateries are always a big go-to! 

What is one dish you’ll never take off the menu?

My mom’s fried rice, which is called Mama Mei’s Dirty Fried Rice, was one of the motivating food items on the very first menu here.  People are obsessed with it, whether it’s brunch or dinner, and it’s a perfect reflection of what I try to do with every item at Moonshine.  What I mean by that is that it is a relatively classic dish, but I made it my own by adding a little twist and elevating it to something beyond just what you may easily do at home.  As a kid, this was my comfort food.  It was also the first (and only) thing I had ever tried to cook, at which I failed miserably.  Thank goodness I decided to give things another go all these years later, lol.  

What is your favorite thing about owning a restaurant?

After all these years, while the food and beverages are always the main focuses, the service to our community and the “home away from home” that Moonshine has become to so many is what I’m most proud of.  This stems from the regulars who feel comfortable enough to come in multiple times a week–or day– to the family-like staff, who are truly my chosen Boston people. This isn’t something that you can ever fully define in terms of “how to get there”.  It’s something that takes a lot of cultivating, cheerleading, teaching/coaching, and also making tons of mistakes. 

What is your least favorite thing about owning a restaurant?

This isn’t my least favorite, but it is the hardest thing about leading a team in this modern world.  Trying to non-stop keep the faith, stay positive, and motivate/support others is tough.  A lot of times, we all feel beaten down and it’s easy to lose faith, especially when you’re the boss!  However, I just have to remember how many people’s livelihoods depend on our little restaurant’s success.  It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously and do try to meet head-on.

What would your last meal be?

Depending on my mood, I’d go for something homey like Spicy Mapo Tofu with Rice, or the complete opposite and something over-the-top like Seared Foie Gras with Prime Rib and Bone-Marrow Garlic Toasts.

Stop by this month and help celebrate Moonshine’s 10th Birthday!