Gamboge began as a deeply personal project: a way to tell the story of my family, my Cambodian roots, and the food memories I grew up with through a space people could actually enter.

Built in Lincoln Heights, the restaurant brought together Cambodian sandwiches, kroeung, pickles, herbs, grilled meats, and the flavors of home in a contemporary Los Angeles context. Underneath the food was a larger story about migration, memory, identity, survival, and joy.

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As founder and creative director, I developed the concept from the ground up, shaping the brand, space, menu direction, visual identity, guest experience, and cultural positioning. The goal was never just to open a restaurant. It was to build a world around food, family, and cultural memory.

Gamboge opened during the pandemic and quickly became part of the Los Angeles food conversation, earning coverage from CN Traveler, Eater LA, The Infatuation, Los Angeles Times, Time Out LA, Vogue, BuzzFeed, Fox 11, ABC7, ABC, and LA Downtown News.

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It became proof that story, design, food, and culture can come together in a physical space, and that personal history can become something other people feel, enter, and carry with them.

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Role: Founder / Creative Director / Brand Story / Spatial Experience / Operations