Our Story
At 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞, we’re all about handcrafted, plant-based comfort food that feels like home.
Meet Soozee Nguyen of The Wild Chive
" I think I was born an entrepreneur. My first business was at five years old where I hustled custom friendship bracelets to classmates. My side gig was slinging lollipops door-to-door until my parents found out and shut it down. Growing up, my parents showed their affection for me through food. My mother was a traditional Vietnamese cook and my father was notorious for coloring outside the lines. And, me? Well, I loved eating "
Fast forward to 19 years old, on a quest for self-discovery and craving new surroundings, I moved from Texas to California. My love for music led me to becoming a DJ for over 15 years. Then, my love for art and working with my hands led me to pursue a career in hair artistry. Throughout this time, I found myself missing my parent’s food, which inspired me to learn how to cook.
" I remember calling my mom all the time for her recipes. “A pinch of this, a pinch of that,” she would say. Her traditional foundation gave me the
platform to experiment, much like how my dad would when they cooked together. Then one day it all clicked. I really loved cooking!
This realization reignited the entrepreneur in me and got the turntables in my head spinning. "
As luck would have it, the opportunity to work for a newly
opened cafe in New York presented itself when I got a call from a friend.
Going to culinary school was not an option for me financially, so I ended up working my way through the kitchens of New York City instead. Looking back, it was the best education I could have asked for. "
" I got to experience every restaurant position with my humble beginnings as a busser, host, and server to working my way up to kitchen manager and executive chef at Champ’s Diner, followed by The Black Flamingo "
Equipped with my new experience, and an ambition to launch something of my own, I decided to move back home to Long Beach, California where The Wild Chive would soon be born. What began as a tiny vegan pop-up offering handcrafted brunches at Portfolio Coffeehouse, vegan festivals, MADE By Millworks, and Marina Farmer’s Market is now on its way to opening a brick- and-mortar to accommodate our tremendous growth.
" I guess you could say The Wild Chive has been three years running, but nine
years in the making. "
I’m truly grateful for my team, all our friends, family, and community who’ve shown enormous support and love to get us here. Special thank you to my Wild Chive family who’ve helped bring my vision to life; my business partner 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣, my Operations Manager and right hand 𝙒𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙯, and my Brand Strategist, 𝙓𝙮𝙡𝙖 𝙂𝙖𝙩𝙖, who has been with me from the beginning "
𝙃𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙?
" Smooth, bumpy, under construction, watch for falling rocks, you name it. It’s been (and still is) quite the adventure. Being a pop-up restaurant is our biggest challenge. We don’t have the luxury of being able to set operational efficiencies like we would in a more permanent space. Everything is touch and go. Luckily, our community has been there to back us up. We’ve met some amazing people along the way and our family keeps growing. So, it can be tough but it’s worth it. "
" The spirit of The Wild Chive is a story of personal identity that celebrates roots and evolutionary heritage and takes shape with the community. In short, we are family time around the dinner table "
𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘎𝘉𝘛𝘘 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺—𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦? 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨.
Thank You, Long Beach!🌈
We’re so thankful for the amazing support from our Long Beach community. Your love drives us to keep creating delicious dishes that reflect our passion for good food.
Come join us at 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞—where every meal is 𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮!