FÖK: Rachel Nguyen

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Rachel Nguyen is the ever-stylish girl behind “That’s Chic” – a Los Angeles based blog that mixes in delicious eats and home décor inspiration with her always on target stylish musings.  

FÖK posts by Rachel Nguyen

  • Rachel Nguyen Pops In to Chrissie Miller's Pop-Up Shop

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    We've been feeling generous lately, which is pretty apparent by our recent giveaways, new cocktail recipes, and endless excuses to throw a party. Sharing is caring, right? Well, we're sticking to that motto and sharing our favorite New York talents with LA through FOK Chrissie Miller's Arts & Leisure pop-up shop. She has a seriously impressive list of buddies – from Terry Richardson to Charlotte Ronson – that are giving LA a taste of New York's art, culture, fashion, and music scene. Last weekend was the pop-up's opening, and to kick it off, Mike D of the Beastie Boys hosted a screening of his music videos outside, along with LA blogger and FOK Rachel Nguyen of That's Chic. From the looks of it, we think this is the beginning of a long friendship between the two coasts. Plus, a few Kanon cocktails always helps bring people together. Forget NY vs. LA – we love them both!


    Here's what Rachel had to say about the night:

    This past weekend, Chrissie Miller, the mastermind behind Sophomore, opened a pop-up shop in the heart of Space 15 Twenty. Sprinkled in were more NYC based designers like Vena Cava and photographers like Terry Richardson. Of course, I started the night going straight to the drinks. On the menu: cocktails with a spicy kick. I once tried a jalapeno margarita that delightfully burned my throat, but the ones served here were perfectly seasoned with cayenne pepper. I made my way through the party for about an hour and gushed over Jonah Hill. Sadly, I kept missing the star of the show Chrissie herself – more reason to attend her upcoming events. My night ended early, a few steps into Umami Burger where I relished my first bite of food in what seemed like hours upon hours. We sat outside and ended up having the best seats (with food!) when Mike D of the Beastie Boys' short film started playing on the projection. There was a familiar face in every scene, which only added to the cleverness of it all – I ended the night giggling over truffle fries.

    Check out more pictures from the night HERE.

  • Rachel Nguyen Checks Out Eveleigh's Culinary (and Cocktail) Offerings

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    One of our favorite aspects of That's Chic, the blog written by our latest FOK, Rachel Nguyen, are her Tasty Tuesday features, which make our mouth water every time we click on over. And since she's tried out some of LA's best epicurean offerings, we were all the more excited to introduce her to the delicious offerings of one of our newest Cali-based accounts, the Eveleigh. Located on Sunset Boulevard, they not only serve a rich menu of farm-to-table food, they are masters at crafting cocktails–and there's no better time to go for a bite than on a Sunday night after the restaurant's staff have scoured the local farmer's market for the best fresh produce. Rachel decided to do just that and we're not all that surprised to find that her experience was nothing short of memorable.

    See what Rachel had to say about her Eveleigh experience:

    Daron [her boyfriend] and I were lucky enough to go Eveleigh on a Sunday, aka, right after they pick all their ingredients from the local food market. Even better was that we went early, so the entire photogenic backyard was ours for the picking–and we got the best seat in the house to view the sunset. From the outside, you can barely see the restaurant as it's covered in beautiful vines and greenery that wrap the wooden foundation. Once inside, you're graced by an even more luscious garden and a fountain.


    I started my night with the Waterloo Sunset because I'm a sucker for any drinkable watermelon; Daron went with his usual gin and tonic. Our first round of food -–*first* because we nearly starved ourselves during the day – was a butter lettuce salad, truffled fries, and their hanger steak. Butter lettuce over iceberg lettuce any day, but the dressing was a little tangy for me. The fries, however, I could eat by the dozen.

    Secondly, we had a round of oysters – I was sort of disappointed they didn't serve oyster shots, but our waiter did the best he could to substitute: a shot glass of Kanon Vodka with added bloody mary mix, seasoning and fresh oysters, swigged down in one breath. I was a happy girl. The prime rib alla’inglese was amazing and fresh, which paired well with the warm house pasta in ragu.

    Lastly, dessert. I usually skimp on dessert especially after a hearty meal, but I was a few drinks in and the atmosphere was alluring, so we ordered… two plates. I'm glad we did too, because they were both to die for! The doughnuts come in unsuspecting balls that you can dip in butter or a soft whipped cream, and the peach cobbler was hot topped with brown sugar ice cream. Just my type of contrast.

    The dessert and the amazing service tied the knot in this newfound marriage I might have with Eveleigh. The beautiful courtyard begs to host my birthday here because at the end of the day, it's like mother's cooking. You have the feel of being cozy at home with the freshest ingredients tendered to a meal on a plate.

    All photos by Daron Sabunjian

  • FOK Recipe: Rachel Nguyen DIYs a Kanon Summer Cocktail

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    One thing we love about our latest FOK, Rachel Nguyen, is that she's just as apt to post photos on her blog, That's Chic, of her latest adventures with brunch pizza as she is to upload her latest outfit. Because why shouldn't food and fashion go hand in hand? We challenged Rachel to whip up a refreshing summer cocktail recipe using our organic vodka, and it just so happened that she had the perfect event in mind for serving it. Check out what Rachel had to say about her DIY recipe below, and try making it for friends this weekend!

    Here's Rachel's take:

    Last weekend was my boyfriend’s birthday, and I was responsible for drinks that didn’t have to do with beer pong. His birthday always comes at the perfect peak of mid-summer, and Kanon Vodka challenged me to come up with a refresher to enjoy on warm nights and with good company. I’m a Mojito person, so this is my twist on the summer drink. It doesn't have a name yet, so feel free to throw some ideas out there. Enjoy!

    Ingredients:
    1 lime cut into wedges
    Mint leaves
    Raspberries
    1 oz. St. Germain
    1 oz. Kanon Vodka
    1 oz. hibiscus syrup
    Club soda and lime soda
    Dry hibiscus flowers
    Sugar
    Water

    To make:
    Start off making your simple syrup. Boil an even ratio of sugar and water and throw in a handful of hibiscus flowers. (Note: I couldn’t find any, so I substituted with 2 hibiscus tea bags).

    Muddle 2 slices of lime, 2 raspberries, and 6 sprigs of mint in your mixer (I muddled mine in the cup for visual purposes). The raspberry brings out the flavor of the hibiscus, but you don't want to overpower the floral undertones! Add the Kanon Vodka and syrup and a handful of ice. Shake it up and strain into another glass filled with fresh ice. Add a splash of club soda and lime soda. Garnish with fresh raspberries (frozen optional!) and a bendy straw.

  • Drinking, Shopping, and Planking at Revolve Clothing's LA Trunk Show

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    Kristin Reiter and Rachel Nguyen

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    We usually don’t care much for shopping, unless said shopping involves a stop at a liquor store. But when you add a cocktail into the equation, we’re always more likely to get on board for just about anything. Since we’ve hit the scene in Los Angeles, we’ve been trying to get the lay of the land and introduce ourselves to as many Californians as we can. And when we heard about a trunk show at Revolve Clothing in collaboration with Refinery29, featuring a few cool brands like Luv AJ, Penelope and Coco, and Katie May, it sounded like a good opportunity to give that shopping thing another try. We asked one of our favorite bloggers, Rachel Nguyen of That’s Chic to come along with us, hoping some of her fashion expertise would rub off. We had a great time, and after a drink (or two), our shopping woes were washed away.

    Here’s what Rachel had to say about the night:

    Trunk shows are pretty awesome as is, but when you throw in enticing words like, "summer sale," you have a show. Last Thursday, Revolve hosted one of these said events headlining three different designers. Luv AJ being the jewelry maker of the three, showcased their industrial rings and bracelets– the closest to wearable-weapon crafting as you'll get. A table over, laid some dangerously beautiful Dalmatian printed boots, and there was a sudden spike in my heart rate when I imagined myself towering an extra six inches in those covetable boots. And circumferencing the store were Katie May's glamorous, tailored pieces hanging delicately on suspended rods. It also hurts more that a lot of the stuff was half off. All in all, technically cooler and better than a normal trunk show. Thankfully, I had one too many Kanon drinks, so my starry-eyes didn't think to open my wallet and spend 30 minutes convincing my boyfriend of why I need to expand my summer wardrobe… when I clearly don't.


    Aside from the shiny, pretty things to look at and fun characters to chat with, mid-party, I bumped into one of my favorite people, Kristin Reiter, also known as one half of Bleach Black. It's really never a dull moment with her–obvious from the picture of us "planking" (yes, I get how silly it is, but isn't everything silly if you think about it?) in the middle of an outdoor rendezvous spot. You can only imagine the people gawking at us. But we got up, kept our cool, and carried on for some late-night tacos. And that was my night in West Hollywood. Thank you Revolve for hosting!

    To find out how to make the featured cocktails from the night by our FOK Claire Thomas of The Kitchy Kitchen, click HERE

    All photos by Daron Sabunjian

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