Serving the public and public service has been at the heart of Moonstar Kitchen for over thirty years. In 1991, Moonstar opened an upscale seafood buffet restaurant on Market Street in San Francisco and, fifteen years later, relocated its thriving business to a larger location in Daly City. Then in 2015, in a desire to serve the growing demand for healthy meals for seniors, Moonstar Kitchen decided to open MoonChef to expressly partner with non-profit organizations working with seniors to provide them with affordable delicious food and catering to this unmet need. Today, MoonChef’s work continues and is fueled by the belief that seniors should not have to pay high prices for good quality, nutritiously prepared food.

Moonstar and MoonChef moved to its newly built 8,000 square foot facility in South San Francisco in 2019. This became a prime location for serving community needs when the pandemic hit in March 2020 and enabled founder Daisy Li to fully express her commitment to community service. When the pandemic forced Moonstar Buffet to shut its doors after 30 years in the restaurant business, Daisy seized upon the opportunity to open an exciting new chapter in Moonstar’s story. In 2021, she launched Moonstar Charitable Organization (MCO), a 501c3 nonprofit, dedicated exclusively to its mission: To inspire, create, and promote multicultural cuisines, programs, and support to underserved communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Moonstar family is passionate about bringing warmth and love to people with every hot meal they serve. Key partnerships will enable Moonstar Charitable to scale its operations quickly so that its operations can one day serve in excess of 350,000 meals a year.