In June 2026, the City of Fullerton celebrated its vibrant business community at the annual State of the City event, honoring local culinary cornerstone Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen with a distinguished business spotlight recognition. To capture the restaurant’s unique journey, the city partnered with Tripepi Smith to produce a high-impact video spotlight to play during the event.
Khan Saab opened its Fullerton location in March 2020, immediately facing the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak. Forced to close its doors to traditional dining just days after launching, the restaurant quickly shifted its focus toward supporting the community. The staff launched a free meal program every Friday, providing essential nourishment to frontline first responders, struggling families and unhoused individuals. Since those difficult early days, Khan Saab has achieved remarkable culinary heights, earning a prestigious MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recognition beginning in 2021 — an honor it has maintained every year since — as well as the OpenTable Diner’s Choice award in 2026.
“Highlighting Khan Saab’s extraordinary generosity at the State of the City event reminded our entire community of the powerful impact local businesses can have during times of crisis,” said Fullerton Senior Administrative Analyst Kim Chaudhry. “The Tripepi Smith team did an incredible job capturing the heart of this restaurant’s mission, making our collaboration a highlight of the evening.”
To bring this story to life, Kim collaborated closely with Tripepi Smith Videographer Nolan Voge, managed the initial outreach and organized meetings with the restaurant staff, while Nolan recorded and edited the video content into a seamless narrative. This recognition marks only the second time a local business has been uniquely honored at the event, following Kayla’s Cakes receiving the Community Hero Award in 2025.
“The City of Fullerton’s staff worked tirelessly to ensure this remarkable business received the recognition it truly deserves,” said Nolan. “Documenting Khan Saab’s journey from their challenging 2020 opening to their current culinary achievements was an honor, and our partnership with the city helped elevate a truly inspiring story of resilience.”
About the City of Fullerton
Located in northern Orange County, the City of Fullerton is a full-service city renowned for its unique mix of residential, business, educational and cultural environments which provide an outstanding quality of life for both residents and businesses alike. One of the largest cities in Orange County, Fullerton is a community with a strong sense of tradition, one that treasures its historic past as it prepares to meet the challenges of its future.
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is a California-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, aerial imagery, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith’s diverse clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Calabasas, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Grover Beach, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lake Forest, City of Livermore, City of Malibu, City of Napa, City of Palmdale, City of Paramount, City of Tracy, CalChoice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Rowland Water District, California City Management Foundation, Renne Public Law Group, West Coast Arborists, Scripps College, Blind Children’s Center and Climatec.
