Photos: Justin Chung
If you’re asked to provide a brief “bio,” where do you start?
Answering this question is often overwhelming because there is a lot to cover! I truly feel as though I’ve lived many lives! But here we go:
I grew up in Sydney and began seriously cooking when I moved to Melbourne in my early 20s. I studied Fine Arts in college and I used paper, paint and charcoal as my means of expression. My mid to late 20s were spent escaping, living in the world and calcifying a real wanderlust inside me. During that time, I also worked on boats, cooking for travelers in Greece, Spain, Italy, Thailand and the Caribbean. I’ve spent years chasing opportunities to cook wherever I landed which eventually brought me here to California.
I’m the owner of Sandita’s, a food and event catering company that began as an open fire dinner series in my back yard. I’m the author of a self published cookbook series called Sandita’s Cooking Notes (coming very soon!). And I’m a Vietnamese girl out here in the world passionately talking about fish sauce!
All these parts meet me where I am in any given moment. Always. Now I get to make art with food (my favorite part!), I’m an artist and I want to be for as long as I continue to live. I believe what I create marinates in all of these past lives with a steady anchor to the flavors of my upbringing and an arrow shooting to somewhere I’ve never been before!
What parts of your history do you see as being foundational in who you are today?
My Vietnamese upbringing in Australia: this makes me smile so wide thinking of moments with my family at the beach looking for sea snails, becoming close to my two brothers and tender moments in the kitchen with my mum. I’m so appreciative of the life my parents made for us.
My first years professionally cooking: this reminds me of my curiousity and drive.
My years traveling alone: this taught me a real sense of independence.
What’s something about yourself that you’ve come to value over time?
I used to think that I was too emotional. That I wore my heart on my sleeve too hard. My parents would tell me how I would cry until I was held, that I always knew what I wanted and I would not relent until I got it. Past relationships would leave me feeling like I was too much. So for a time I swallowed my tears and kept a lot inside.
Through therapy and consistent self discovery I’ve found that my vulnerability is the strongest part of who I am. I no longer feel that immense shame I used to feel about my needs and wants. I’ve also learnt that I’m not for everyone and that is really ok! I trust my voice, I trust myself.
I love and value my ability to feel deeply and I soften to that part of myself time and time again. Somehow it is also healing to a younger me and that makes me feel proud.
What is your morning ritual? How has it evolved over time?
Shower first thing always! Some of my best ideas have come from a morning shower. I find it helps me start the day crispy! After that, I make sure I take care of my skin and then I’m in my kitchen tasting sauces or planning what to cook that day. Every so often I’ll indulge in an espresso or a matcha.
Morning showers and some level of skincare have always been consistent but the rest is ever changing depending on my calendar. If anything has evolved I would say it’s my skincare routine. Since turning 36, I am giving my skin a lot more love and I believe it’s paying off!
You've spoken about your longstanding love of art — how to you see that connecting to food?
There’s a culinary teaching that what grows together goes together. This speaks to seasonality however I love using this framing for the color palette of my menus. Yellow corn, peaches and sun gold tomatoes in the summer, purple sweet potato and dark forest greens with a splash of turmeric in the colder months. I’m inspired by the shapes and colours that naturally exist around us and each season I let this be my driving force. To me, the natural world is art.
In my very lucky experience, I was raised by parents who always made food the center of our household, even with very little, they made what felt like feasts. I also believe that art exists in this level of versatility.
Art to me is creativity, it’s problem solving, a new or different way of approaching what readily exists and anything that can hold your attention for a moment. For this reason I see food and art as inseparable and a constant in connecting to ourselves and to others.
What’s a secret local spot in your neighborhood that you love?
My friend Karla Suberpittol’s garage! She is the founder and owner of Chainsaw LA (best known for insane Venezuelan sauces, ice box pies and opening her garage to some crazy pop ups over the past few years). There have been late nights I’ve needed a post dinner snack and a chinwag and this mama is always whipping up an arepa at the garage. Hot and fresh out the fryer stuffed with fresh cheese, tomato and avocado. This is our little secret. I’m so grateful to know and be fed by Karla along with a community of incredibly talented cooks and chefs in this city who I’m lucky to call friends!
What’s something new, outside of your career/medium that you are interested in learning more about?
Book printing and binding! My first ever cook book series is coming out in the next few days and the process of writing, designing and collaborating with the printing house has been so eye opening and fun. I’ve come to really adore and respect the level of precision, eye for detail and time given into book making and I’m very excited to be on this journey learning more and more each day!
Also birds. My friend Gavin knows a lot about birds and I find it so impressive how I can point out a bird flying high above us, almost unrecognizable and she can identify it without a hitch. Amazing.
Birds and books.
A recipe that never disappoints:
Soft boiled eggs smashed with a little fish sauce, lime and fresh Thai chili over rice. This has been a saving grace for me over the years and a genuine comfort food. Satiating, fatty, salty, spicy, so good!
An unexpected food/flavor pairing I love:
Dill and yuzu. I add these to a whole seed mustard dressing I make and it always creates such a wonderful point of interest to any salad.
