Portrait of Kristin Nguyen
i. Biography
Kristin Nguyen is the executive chef-owner of Garlic & Chives in Garden Grove, a role that sits at the meeting point of kitchen discipline, hospitality, and the management required to keep a restaurant running with a clear point of view.
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The Path
Training at Bolsa Grande High School, California State University, Fullerton, and Art Institute in Santa Ana gave Nguyen a base that could support both the practical demands of service and the creative demands of menu work. Before committing fully to the kitchen, she worked at mortgage companies, a setting far removed from the pace of restaurant life. Food, however, stayed close. She helped her parents with a vietnamese restaurant in Westminster, learning the trade through family work, repetition, and service.
She also worked as a private caterer, adding another setting where food had to move cleanly from kitchen to table and hold a room together. Those experiences point to the kind of kitchen she would build: one shaped by precision, expression, and the daily discipline of service. Today, Kristin Nguyen leads Garlic & Chives as chef and owner.
The Work Today
At Garlic & Chives, Nguyen works across the visible and the hidden parts of the job: cooking, organizing the kitchen, and maintaining the standard of the dining room. As chef and owner, she is responsible for the rhythm of service as much as the food itself. In a crowded dining market, the work distinguishes itself through clarity rather than noise. Garlic & Chives carries Nguyen’s point of view in the plate and in the room.
Signature
Kristin's signature dishes include deep-fried salmon belly dish, soft tofu with garlic and chives, salmon spring rolls, and wok-fried crab with handfuls of garlic. The range shows a kitchen built on contrast and clarity: crunch against softness, richness against lift, wok heat against delicate texture. Garlic is not treated as background seasoning here; it is a defining element. Salmon belly and crab add weight, while tofu and spring rolls extend the menu’s reach across texture and form. The work reads as direct, aromatic, and tightly held to the ingredients.
In Their Words “I loved working with money, but I wanted to work with food more because I am passionate about cooking and love being creative.” The line marks a clear shift in practice: away from office work and toward a trade where the output is physical, immediate, and shaped by hand. “It was the most amazing experience.” The remark is brief, but it points to the force of the work itself — the kind of experience that leaves a mark because it is lived in service, not talked around.
Acclaim
Kristin Nguyen has received OC Weekly, Best Vietnamese Restaurant (2015). Kristin's honors include Best Vietnamese Restaurant (2015).
FAQ
Asked of Kristin
What is Kristin Nguyen's current role?
Kristin Nguyen is Executive Chef-Owner.
Where did Kristin Nguyen train or study?
Kristin Nguyen trained at Bolsa Grande High School and California State University, Fullerton.
What recognition has Kristin Nguyen received?
Best Vietnamese Restaurant (2015).
The Sunday email
Read about chefs like Kristin Nguyen in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
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