Multi-Millionaire Throws Birthday Bash in Food Kitchen

To make his 30th birthday an occasion to remember, a multi-millionaire threw a birthday bash for 300 homeless people.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 21 2008

Last year, after 29-year-old Indian-born entrepreneur Taj Chahal and his brother sold their advertising technology company, BlueLithium, to Yahoo for a $300 million windfall, Chahal vowed to make his 30th birthday party an occasion to remember.

You may be thinking of thousand-dollar champagne bottles, a hot Hollywood nightclub, and hundreds of scantily-clad dancers, but Chahal’s birthday bash wasn’t exactly a P. Diddy-style celebration. Instead, the generous multi-millionaire decided to share the wealth with 300 San Jose-area homeless people at a food kitchen called Martha’s Kitchen.

Chahal did more than simply serve up soup, though: On his birthday, May 6th, regular diners were stunned to discover the dining room decorated with tablecloths, balloons, and a dazzling array of catered gourmet dishes, featuring ravioli and meatballs, garlic bread, and a huge tray of birthday cake. Chahal paid the entire $8,000 bill by himself, and volunteered his services at the party as a juice-pourer.

For most people, birthdays are about receiving, not giving. But Chahal decided it was time for a change this year: “If you are blessed to have the things that you have, then you should share them with others,” he told San Jose Mercury News.

“In the long term, I want to do something big with philanthropy - scholarships, building schools, that sort of thing,” he said.

But for now, he’s already busy planning next year’s birthday blowout for his newfound friends, vowing to make it even bigger and better than this year’s party. Might we suggest a chocolate fountain?

Filed under: Heroes, Non-Profits,

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