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How She Does It With Sandia Chang: Co-Founder Of Bubbledogs And Kitchen Table

In our How She Does It column, we talk to inspirational mothers about work-life balance, their favourite travel destinations, travelling with children, and how they really do it all. This month, we chat to Sandia Chang.

Co-founder of Kitchen Table and Bubbledogs, plus a Champagne connoisseur, Sandia tells us what growing up in Saudi Arabia taught her, how she became founder and co-owner of two London restaurants, how she manages to balance a career in hospitality with motherhood, as well as sharing her thoughts on the one thing she wishes all mothers had access to.


About Your Work:

Tell us how you got to where you are today…

Hospitality has always been in my blood; when all the little girls in school wanted to be ballerinas or doctors, I wanted to be a waitress. I remember that instead of playing house, I played pretend restaurants. In high school, while my friends were reading teen magazines, I was subscribing to restaurant industry magazines. After university – where I studied Hotel and Restaurant Management – I had the wild idea that I wanted to become a chef, so my parents sent me to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley before moving to New York. After all, “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere” right?

I worked at two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Bouley, before realising that being a chef wasn’t as glamorous as I thought. Luckily for me, Per Se had just reopened and was hiring kitchen servers – it was the perfect starting position for me and where I met my now husband and business partner, James Knappett.

You’ve worked with some of the world’s most fast-paced and sought after restaurants. Do you have any valuable learnings from these experiences?

At Per Se, I learnt not only to never say ‘no’ to a guest’s request, but also to go above and beyond. I remember a certain rockstar who would visit, and he had to have potatoes with everything. So the kitchen team prepared a nine-course tasting menu with nine different versions of potatoes. I also learnt how to wow people, read cues and deliver above-expectation memories, making guests feel that they are the most important person in that room.

At Noma, I learnt a different version of hospitality – in which it was okay to say no. We didn’t have a cocktail list and would serve only gin and tonics and gin martinis, even if a guest requested something else. Or, if a guest requested pork to be cooked well (usually served medium rare) we would refuse politely. We preferred to offer something done perfectly than to deliver something mediocre, which wouldn’t be representative of what we did. I learnt that hospitality doesn’t have to be a ‘yes’ all the time. It just needs to be welcoming and warm.

How does the restaurant scene differ across the countries you have worked in? 

I think guests are different in each of the countries I’ve worked in. In the US, guests are much more open to conversation, and also very open and frank about issues that may arise during their visit, which allows the staff to resolve them. In Denmark, guests are sweet, very trusting, respectful to the restaurant industry and very open minded about trying new things. In the UK, guests tend to be more closed-off and traditional in their eating out culture – and often prefer to share feedback indirectly (e.g. a letter the next day). Reading people is my passion. Sometimes I feel like I could be a good crime scene investigator!

You moved to working as a sommelier. Why?

My childhood memories are filled with home-cooked meals served with wine, happy hours with great snacks, and lots of entertaining guests. Naturally, wine and beverages hold an important piece of the pie when it comes to a complete dining experience. When I was working at Per Se as a back server, I really wanted to be promoted to a captain. To do so at Per Se, you needed a very good amount of wine knowledge. The more I learnt about wine, the more I enjoyed learning; so much so that I will never be able to stop. Every region is different, every producer is different, and also every year is different. And of course, the best way to learn about wine is to taste it.

What makes good Champagne? 

Champagne is basically wine with bubbles in it. In order to make good Champagne, the producer needs to make a good wine first. It needs to be balanced; not too acidic, not too extracted, not too sweet, not too anything. You should be able to taste the terroir and also the house style of the producer.

Why do you focus on smaller-scale producers – and what do you look for? 

I look for quality and personality when it comes to grower Champagne. The majority is produced by the Grand Marques; huge Champagne houses that buy in the majority of their grapes from different farmers and blend them. Grower Champagne producers are the actual farmers, who grow their own grapes to make their own wines. I feel there is more love, passion and care from someone who is there, and who sees the process from beginning to end. There is much more control and love that goes into producing say 40,000 bottles a year compared to a big house that produces 24 million bottles a year. You can taste love and care in wine – but not only that, it needs to be its own style, not something trying to be commercial.

What’s your top tip for pairing Champagne with food? 

Champagne goes with everything – except chocolate.

Tell us the story behind Bubbledogs….

After I moved back to England, I craved delicious wines – but also the laid-back, unpretentious NYC vibe of eating out. I wanted to open a wine bar, and I knew that grower Champagne was going to be my main focus. When my husband and I were opening our own restaurant, we couldn’t agree on the concept – he wanted fine-dining, and I wanted a laid-back wine bar. We agreed to split the restaurant in half; I got the front section, and he got the back.

The council needed me to serve food alongside wines, which got me thinking… Champagne goes well with caviar because of its natural freshness and acidity to cut through oil and salty food – but I didn’t want a pretentious spot. So I thought, why not hot dogs? Hot dogs are salty and greasy. And who’s ever afraid of hot dogs? They pair well with Champagne, plus it will also help bring down this imaginary pedestal that everyone puts Champagne on. I thought ‘if I can get people through the doors with hot dogs, then I can hopefully convince them to try my grower Champagne selection.’


About Your Work-Life Balance With Children:

Have your career goals and aspirations altered since becoming a working mum? 

Not at all. I feel like I am still as passionate as ever – and with whatever little time I have, I use it to continue to push Kitchen Table to the next level, as well as to keep advocating for grower Champagnes with my online shop.

What does your day-to-day look like? 

It is a lot of juggling: child care and work. A typical day would be up at 7am to get both kids ready – James works late so he is allowed to sleep in. I make breakfast for the kids, and then drop the youngest one at nursery before coming home to get my older child ready for school drop-off at 9am. I then head in to the restaurant and do a lot of admin work, touch base with the staff, check on operations and take meetings, before returning home at around 2pm to prep dinner. I pick up my oldest and take her for swimming lessons or other activities, before heading to collect my youngest at nursery around 5pm. Our nanny shows up at 5pm two nights of the week, when I then head back to Kitchen Table for a 6pm service briefing and dinner shift until 10pm. On the nights I don’t work at the restaurant, I do the usual routine – dinner, bath time, bed time – and clock back onto email at 9pm.

If you have a day to yourself, what do you do and where do you stop by for a drink?

I like to find a place for breakfast where I can enjoy a cup of coffee and a real meal – slowly and peacefully. I’d try to go to a museum, do some shopping, or catch up with friends over lunch. I miss going to wine bars in the evening, so whenever I have a chance, you can find me at The Winemakers Club or Hector’s in Dalston.

Favourite restaurant?

Etxebarri in San Sebastian.

Your go-to meal at home? 

Many different versions of fried rice.

Favourite hotel ever – with or without children? 

With children would be Ikos Resorts. Without children would be La Grenouillère.

You’ve lived and worked across the world, how do you think travel benefits your children? 

I have always lived very internationally: I attended an international school in Saudi Arabia, and we travelled a lot as a family growing up. It’s taught me a lot about tolerance, acceptance, and also respect – and has opened my eyes to so many food and wine cultures too. I want my children to learn that travelling and experiencing new things is easy. James and I travel with the kids a lot; my daughter was learning about the Eiffel Tower at school so I took her on a day trip to Paris. We left early in the morning, had lunch in Paris, saw the Eiffel Tower and brought some macarons before coming back to London the same day.

If you had the power to change one thing for working mothers, what would it be? 

Government-assisted after school childcare.

The best advice you would give to other mothers? 

“There is always a way.” I remember when my daughter went into reception, changing an 8am-6pm nursery schedule to a 9am-3:30pm schedule, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to cope. But now, almost a year down the line, I have found ways – and actually quite enjoy my new routine. Looking back I might have overreacted…

Are there any women who inspire you? 

My mother, who was a stay-at-home mom. It wasn’t until I had children that I realised how amazing she is. She is the ultimate homemaker; she cooked three meals a day, provided healthy snacks, handmade a lot of our clothes, and helped with homework. She also hosted the best dinner parties for friends and family; she used to keep a journal of dishes and guests – so that next time she invited them back, she could make a completely new menu.

How do you do it? 

I’m not really sure, especially when most days I feel like I barely survive. However, James and I always live by a motto – which was once used mostly for work but I now find it more useful being a working mother: “improvise, adapt, overcome.” It’s a quote by Clint Eastwood from his movie, Heartbreak Ridge.


Lead image credit: Marcus Cobden

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