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Tight Bites x Tight Sips Catering

Mini Duck Confit Bánh Mì Crostini
Five-spice + lemongrass duck, slow-confit with star anise, ginger, and shallot.
Shredded, lacquered in a Huế-inspired glaze of chili water-nước mắm, citrus, and palm sugar.
Set on crisp crostini with yuzu kosho aioli, lightly pickled carrot, raw purple daikon, and finished with a peppery nasturtium leaf.
Warm. Bright. Funky.
A tight bite built on contrast and memory. ✨

I loved this clip that @shotsby_dani_ captured of our BOH team putting this bite together — and yes, that XL tin of caviarmade a casual cameo 🐟

📸 @shotsby_dani_
culinary team:
sous: @cool_hand_kaell
culinary curators @eyeuh + sergio

What made this night truly special was the team behind it.
I’m constantly in awe of what happens when you gather a group of culinary curators —people who bring their own point of view, skill set, and care into the work.

@cool_hand_kaell led the kitchen with quiet confidence and gentle authority: clean, timely, adaptable, and grounded. My culinary curators , @eyeuh and sergio brought such a beautiful range of skill and knowledge to the table, and we synced so naturally in our movements — working with trust, rhythm, and clear communication. I felt so supported all night.

Here we are curating the deconstructed beef Wellington:

puff pastry base • lemongrass–chantrelle pâté • seared filet mignon • Vietnamese red peppercorn nước mắm jus • marigold + marigold lace.

This is the kind of collaboration I strive to build every time. I am endlessly grateful 🙏🏽

📸 @shotsby_dani_
culinary team:
sous: @cool_hand_kaell
culinary curators @eyeuh + sergio

Tight Bites x Tight Sips Catering:

Deconstructed Lemongrass Tofu Wellington.

Puff pastry base • chantrelle–lemongrass pâté • marinated & fried tofu • ginger–tamari mushroom dashi reduction • marigold & micro pea tips from @lifefoodgardens .

What made it special was the texture play — light, crisp shatter against rich, silky tofu, layered with earthy aromatics, clean umami, and fresh herb finish. This is exactly the kind of balance I love chasing in a tight bite.

📸 @shotsby_dani_
culinary team:
sous: @cool_hand_kaell
culinary curators @eyeuh + sergio

I’m back at @aloftofonesown this Saturday with a comforting spread of Tight Bites — this time leaning into @gavinanthonydesigns latest record, A Hue of Meaning and infusing Huế flavors from my mom’s hometown in Central Vietnam.

On the menu:
✨ Việt Cajun Gumbo
✨ My mama’s imperial rolls
✨ Wild mushroom puff pastry bites
✨ A fresh batch of my tamarind snickerdoodle cookies

And @chestercoffeepot will be behind the bar shaking up cocktails to pair with every bite. @shotsby_dani_ will be capturing the evening with her beautiful photography.
Tickets are currently sold out, but I can’t wait to feed everyone who’s joining us. 💛

I’m popping up this Saturday at A Loft of One’s Own for Ghost Herd: A Call to Protect What Remains — an exhibition honoring the beauty, memory, and vulnerability of wild horses.

In their spirit, I’m serving a 100% vegetarian tasting menu, rooted in Huế flavors and shaped through my “tight bites” language — small, intentional compositions meant to tantalize the palate. Each dish leans into seasonality, fermentation, and the brightness of winter produce.

All items will be offered à la carte, so guests can build their own path through the menu.
Our two cocktails — the Passion Toki Highball and the Sông Cái Shiso Martini — were designed to pair with the bites and echo the same herbal, citrusy notes woven throughout the food. @chestercoffeepot will be behind the bar!

I am excited to feature Sông Cái. It is Vietnam’s first artisanal gin, distilled with wild botanicals foraged from the country’s highlands. It carries notes of native citrus, forest herbs, pepper, and mountain flowers — a spirit that tastes like the landscape it comes from.

Menu & details in the post!
Come eat, sip, wander, and support the artists + the wild herds that inspired this gathering. 🤍🐎

@aloftofonesown
@lienxtong
@tightbites

#tightsips
#tightbites
#modernvietnamese
#vegetariantastingmenu
#hueflavors
#artandfood
#ghostherdexhibit

I’m popping up this Saturday at A Loft of One’s Own for Ghost Herd: A Call to Protect What Remains — an exhibition honoring the beauty, memory, and vulnerability of wild horses.

In their spirit, I’m serving a 100% vegetarian tasting menu, rooted in Huế flavors and shaped through my “tight bites” language — small, intentional compositions meant to tantalize the palate. Each dish leans into seasonality, fermentation, and the brightness of winter produce.

All items will be offered à la carte, so guests can build their own path through the menu.
Our two cocktails — the Passion Toki Highball and the Sông Cái Shiso Martini — were designed to pair with the bites and echo the same herbal, citrusy notes woven throughout the food. @chestercoffeepot will be behind the bar!

I am excited to feature Sông Cái. It is Vietnam’s first artisanal gin, distilled with wild botanicals foraged from the country’s highlands. It carries notes of native citrus, forest herbs, pepper, and mountain flowers — a spirit that tastes like the landscape it comes from.

Menu & details in the post!
Come eat, sip, wander, and support the artists + the wild herds that inspired this gathering. 🤍🐎

@aloftofonesown
@lienxtong
@tightbites

#tightsips
#tightbites
#modernvietnamese
#vegetariantastingmenu
#hueflavors
#artandfood
#ghostherdexhibit

I’m popping up this Saturday at A Loft of One’s Own for Ghost Herd: A Call to Protect What Remains — an exhibition honoring the beauty, memory, and vulnerability of wild horses.

In their spirit, I’m serving a 100% vegetarian tasting menu, rooted in Huế flavors and shaped through my “tight bites” language — small, intentional compositions meant to tantalize the palate. Each dish leans into seasonality, fermentation, and the brightness of winter produce.

All items will be offered à la carte, so guests can build their own path through the menu.
Our two cocktails — the Passion Toki Highball and the Sông Cái Shiso Martini — were designed to pair with the bites and echo the same herbal, citrusy notes woven throughout the food. @chestercoffeepot will be behind the bar!

I am excited to feature Sông Cái. It is Vietnam’s first artisanal gin, distilled with wild botanicals foraged from the country’s highlands. It carries notes of native citrus, forest herbs, pepper, and mountain flowers — a spirit that tastes like the landscape it comes from.

Menu & details in the post!
Come eat, sip, wander, and support the artists + the wild herds that inspired this gathering. 🤍🐎

@aloftofonesown
@lienxtong
@tightbites

#tightsips
#tightbites
#modernvietnamese
#vegetariantastingmenu
#hueflavors
#artandfood
#ghostherdexhibit

It starts with intention — that pull between curiosity and instinct.
Where design meets appetite.
For me, tight bites are a modern echo of Huế —
a cuisine built on variety, delicacy, and the art of many small dishes.
Each bite meant to spark curiosity, to open the senses,
to taste something new without the weight of a full meal.

#tightbites #modernvietnamese #huecuisine #vietnameseinspired #chefstudio #designmeetsfood #artofplating #cheflife #smallbites #edibleart #oaklandchef #creativecuisine #foodasdesign #culinarystorytelling

I don’t often cook with cheese or dairy, but when the dish asks for it — I listen.

This bite started from an arugula salad with persimmon and a charred Meyer lemon vinaigrette I made recently for a private dinner. The way the persimmon played with a few shavings of Grana stuck with me — sweet, floral, salty, just right.

So I turned that moment into a tartlet: roasted parsnip purée at the base, thin slices of persimmon and plum on top, a touch of Grana and chive to finish. Autumn tones, clean balance, a little warmth in every layer.

#tightbites #seasonalcooking #fallflavors #persimmonseason #smallbites #californiacuisine #chefsofinstagram #platingart

✨ Tight Bite Spotlight ✨

Inspired by canh bí đỏ — the humble Vietnamese squash soup — this bite leans into nostalgia for me. Silky brown butter coconut kabocha purée sits in a crisp tart shell, topped with gently pickled carrot ribbons, nước chấm glaze, and fresh dill. A familiar warmth reimagined with a bit of brightness.

#tightbite #vietnamesefood #canhbido #vietnamesecuisine #modernvietnamese #canape #finecatering

✨ Tight Bite Spotlight ✨
Tamari-ginger roasted beet hummus nestled in a crisp tartlet, topped with a whisper of radish and a fresh chervil leaf.
A single bite where Mediterranean earthiness meets Asian umami, all textures and flavors in perfect balance. Every detail intentional, every flavor curated. #TightBite #FlavorJourney #MediterrAsian #BiteSizedArt

Tight Bites — a practice in restraint and precision.

Yesterday’s R&D session gave me two that felt just right:

🍅 Heirloom tomato (red and yellow) with thai basil pearls , lemongrass ginger oil and rau ram.

🌸 Pickled lotus root salad with purple daikon, grapefruit pulp, calamansi nuoc cham and watercress.

Each bite a study in contrast — acid and aroma, crisp texture and gentle crunch, balance held in one #tightbite.

#tightbites #randdkitchen #chefnotes #culinarydesign #foodasart #compositionandflavor #flavorexperiment #moderncuisine #chefstudy
📸by @lienxtong

Tight bites are all about focus and intention. Every bite is its own little composition, balanced in flavor, texture, color, and form.

It’s where art, design, and nourishment meet—something you can see, taste, and feel all at once.

It’s not just food—it’s a mini experience, made to linger on your senses and evoke nostalgia.

Featured here are prep snapshots of this past weekendof a curated private tight bites experience for 12. My team made this all possible. @eyeoftheavocado @caviar.jay

📸 @shotsby_dani_

Food has always given me nurturing, comfort, and a space for creativity. When I was little, I loved helping my mom in the kitchen just to snack on all the cucumbers and tomatoes I could get my hands on.

Those who know me really know I’m obsessed with cucumbers — I’m always finding new ways to enjoy them.

Today’s favorite: Persian cukes, lightly salted, with peeled heirloom tomatoes, lemongrass vinaigrette, rau ram oil, and Thai basil. Simple. Bright. Delicious.

Special Shoutout to my creative partner + best homie @shotsby_dani_ for this gorgeous photo. More to come this week!