The clock is ticking on the dreams of Jen Johnson and Serafina Palandech.

The Sebastopol couple is launching a new frozen food company, Hip Chick Farms. Johnson, who has worked at Chez Panisse and is currently the executive private chef for Ann and Gordon Getty in San Francisco, has created the recipes for their products: “hand-crafted, delicious frozen chicken fingers, chicken meatballs, chicken wings and chicken stock, made with all-natural, sustainable ingredients and practices.”

The ticking clock refers to their crowd-sourcing efforts on Kickstarter. The two are seeking to raise $25,000 for commercial equipment and other start-up costs. And they are close, with $21,503 in pledges by 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. But they  have only 19 hours remaining to raise the rest. The deadline is 6:54 a.m. Thursday.

“It’s nerve-racking,” Serafina told me earlier today.

If they don’t reach their goal, the couple won’t receive any of the pledges. The backers won’t be charged for their pledges, but they also won’t receive various rewards, including chicken wing trays for special events, T-shirts or the choice of one of the Hip Chick food items.

I interviewed the couple for a Sunday story about Kickstarter and the local businesses and artists that have used it.

By the time the story is printed, we’ll know whether Jen and Serafina met their goal. Stay tuned.

To see more about their efforts on Kickstarter, click here.

— Robert Digitale