Spotted in: Temescal, Oakland
Occupation: Chef, Future Restaurant Owner, Children's Clothing Store Worker
What's your occupation?
I work part-time at a children's store, and I'm a chef.
How did you start out doing both those things?
Let's see . . . I've been a chef for 15+ years. I'm opening a spot in downtown Oakland in the next two weeks. The children's store is owned by a friend of mine and I work part-time two days a week to keep my kids clothed at a really cheap rate!
What kind of restaurant are you opening?
It's going to be a micro restaurant—we're splitting the booth with a wine bar. It's going to be braised meats, flatbread pizzas, salads, and small plates.
Do you come from a family of chefs?
Yes, my whole family cooks, so I've been doing it for a long time.
Are you originally from here?
I'm originally from Southern California where I was born, then I moved to Hawaii, and then back to Northern California when I was 23.
What brought you to Northern California?
Hawaii's really small [laughs]. You're just driving around in circles.
What have you been up to today?
Folding clothes, pricing, and now I'm eating lunch.
Where did you end up picking up lunch?
Burma Superstar. I've been going since they opened in the city—that's the original one, I think. It's on 6th and Clement.
Cooking-wise what are your inspirations?
Originally I'm a baker, so I've had a couple of businesses where I was running bakeries—I had my own bakery for a while. Now I'm trying to move out of baking and more into mainstream food, because I'm more passionate about the savory stuff.
So that's why the flatbread is on the menu as well? You're combining your passion for baking with the savory stuff?
Yes. I have to have some sort of baking in there! But my business partner is also a meat gal. Her husband's a butcher, so we've got some skills.
So when is the restaurant opening?
It's almost ready. We have two more inspections.
And where is it going to be located?
Swan's Marketplace. We were really lucky to get in there. The restaurant is called Henhouse.
Where did the name Henhouse come from?
'Cause we're two moms, we're two women. We both have small children. So, you know, just us chickens [makes clucking sounds].
What do you and your family like to do when you're out and about?
I'm a single mom, and my kids and I go all over. We go hiking in Sibley, see movies, go to the zoo, we do a lot of swimming, and soccer.
What's a recent challenge you've overcome?
Divorce. Separating and becoming a single mom.
Any surprises or revelations?
I'm a lot happier. It's kind of amazing. And I like myself with long hair because I've had short hair for the last 15 years. So I let it grow out, and it's still growing. I'm just going to have mermaid hair—it's going to cover my boobs. I'll just walk around without a bra and no one will know.
Have you received any good advice lately?
Make sure you take care of yourself. Someone told me that really early on when things started falling apart: Make sure you take care of yourself. Every day. And it's turned out for the best.
Tell me about your outfit today—I like the scarf!
So the boots came from Ebay—45 buck Fryes. And then Gap jeans—they're my painting jeans, obviously [shows some paint specks on the legs]. I've been painting the restaurant. This top came from a boutique in Hawaii, and the scarf is from the shop where I work. It's from a company called Mayoral.
Have you had all these tattoos for a while?
This one [points to dragon] has been an eight-year work in progress. But all of them I've had for a really long time. I really wanted a dragon and one tattoo artist started it, but then he left the Bay Area so I had to have someone else finish it. This is my daughter's name, Carmelita. Because I grew up in Hawaii, and I love Mynah birds because they're the smartest of the covid species, which are like Crows, Ravens, Mynahs. I grew up watching them in Hawaii and they mate for life. So I got Mynah birds—it says My My Mynah. And this was an anniversary date of me and my ex-husband. It's the seventh month and the 17 tooth cog because we were both cyclists. We would ride bicycles a lot. I was a messenger for years.
You were bike messenger?
In San Francisco!
That's a tough job!
The hardest job but the best job I ever had! And these tattoos are just Hawaii state flowers. Some traditional Plumerias, and the letters of my first and last name. Then I have sugar skull on my back and the word forgiveness on my chest. And some on my legs too.
Those pearl earrings are very pretty as well!
These were given to me on my 21st birthday by my mom—they're Tahitian black pearls. And the diamonds are from my mother as well.
