Chill
125 Kearny St
(between Post St & Vermehr Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 433-1233

“Let’s chill, and settle down.”
More sexy Lyrics.
“All my love is for you.”
“Whatever you want, I will do.”

Growing up in the 80s, Guy rocked the house with this song.

As an immigrant from Hong Kong, the lyrics blew my mind away. The lyrics
reminded me to “chill”.

Goodness. Chinese immigrants don’t chill.
“Chill” can be considered a childhood sin.

Instead, we freak.
We freak out.

Instead, our lyrics go like this.
“Hit it D.J.”

“Let’s freak, and never settle down.”
“All my love is for math.”
“Whatever GPA you want, I will give.”

That’s right.

Now on to my sexy as ever review.
On a chilly Friday evening, I past by Chill in commercial Kearny Street.
At first glance, I could have easily opted to say “Not another fro yo place.”

Like any good food blogger, I hip hopped and entered the store and did more research.

Taste test. Aside from the original frozen yogurt flavors, there is a heavy bodied custard as well as sesame. For those who desire a sweet comfort frozen yogurt, the custard marks the spot.

Wanting to refresh my palate, the black currant soda did just that.
Desiring warmth, the rooibos red tea did the trick. The light bodied caffeine free red tea calmed the senses.

I would consider coming back since Chill serves other great goodies from crepes and cupcakes.
Behind the operation is Trang, an avid traveler and has sweet tooth.

Her idea not to just isolate her business to just frozen yogurt is a smart idea.

She is both charming and courageous.

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Interview Questions

Q1) Tell me about your path from corporate to being an entrepreneur?

My brother gave me an issue of Entrepreneur magazine when I was in high school because I was doodling logos for a company name I created. But I never saw it through because while I knew I wanted to do my own thing, I had to figure out what that “thing” was first. So over the years, I went the traditional route, thinking I would climb the corporate ladder and aspire to become a Chief Marketing Officer of a company somewhere instead.

Guess my brother knew me better because while I learned a great deal working at several corporate headquarters, the entrepreneurial bug never left me. I got tired of working for the “man” or “woman” and instead wanted to be “the” woman myself. I felt that after getting the foundation of the Michigan MBA along with hands on practical experience at some Fortune 100 companies, I was ready to take that plunge.

Q2) Were you scared to open a restaurant?

Absolutely petrified. No matter how much work you’ve put in, research, planning, the whole gamut — it is simply scary going out on your own. No more golden handcuffs, no more pay check safety nets. Of course the macro factors (read: economy) and untimely season opener (winter) don’t make things easier; they only exacerbate the situation.

But with most things, it takes time.

The scariest part is doing everything on my own. Had I had a partner, it would have been a lot easier to divide and conquer, bounce ideas off, and more than anything, give and receive moral support. Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely. In my case, because I had to do everything on my own, I found myself working 12-15 hour days for weeks on end without seeing my friends very often.

And because it was a lot easier to have phone meetings vs in person meetings, I would often go days without seeing people in general. But while I would have preferred a partner, not having one is not something that would have stopped me. You have to have self reliance and persistence in this field and a whole lot of faith! As Wayne Gretzky said “you miss 100% of the shots you never take.”

Q3) Did your parents support you?

My parents were the driving force who encouraged me and supported me to be my own boss. They too are small business owner entrepreneurs so they are very much aware of the challenges as well as the rewards of starting up and managing a private business. Without my parents, I would not be where I am today.

They led by example as to what it takes to succeed. They came penniless to this country after the Vietnam war and started from ground zero with a lot of blood, sweat and tears; they have always been my inspiration.

Q4) Be honest. Why is your frozen yogurt the best?

I believe the cost of entry for all frozen yogurts on the market these days are that they are all natural, non fat, and contain live and active cultures. I believe all have the first two criteria. I don’t believe all have the third criteria.

Chill frozen yogurt not only has all three, but more importantly we differentiate ourselves in that we offer exotic all natural flavors and toppings.

This is not your captain crunch frozen yogurt shop. Rooibos red tea frozen yogurt, Valrhona chocolate rice pearl. Fig puree. I researched and visited the majority of the frozen yogurt and gelato shops in Manhattan and in the Bay Area as well as some in Southern California. To the best of my knowledge, we are the only ones that offer these exotic flavorings, purees, toppings.

Most importantly, Chill is not another frozen yogurt shop. We are a specialty dessert cafe. Dessert crepes. Organic coffee. Rooibos red tea lattes. All natural black currant floats with cupcakes. This is foremost a specialty dessert cafe experience.

Q5) What are you favorite cities that you have traveled to?

Hanoi, Vietnam. London, England. Agra, India.

Hanoi
While I was born in Saigon and enjoy visiting every now and then, I found Hanoi to be richer in culture and character with a smaller town feel vs. Saigon. I love the architecture there too; it’s almost as if I were going back in time.

London
I had studied abroad in England while in college so I will always have a soft spot for England. I love London! I would have loved living and working there too as I love the energy, the culture, the lifestyle — who doesn’t love tea in the afternoon and hanging out at pubs in the evening?

Agra
I’ll always remember the Taj Mahal (especially since it was on my birthday!). The mausoleum is so awe inspiring, but what makes it really magical is that at different times during the day — be it morning, afternoon or evening, the mausoleum changes colors as reflected by the different times of the day. It’s so breathtaking!

Q6) How has getting an MBA helped you in your business?

Tremendously. I would not have had the courage or the wherewithal to do this. The Michigan MBA gave me the best of both words: the theoretical knowledge of all facets of business, i.e. completing a business plan and the practical experience I received from the Fortune 100 jobs who hired me because of the MBA. Another plus is the amazing support from friends I met in my business school as well as many other business school friends I’ve made.

At any time, they are a phone call or email away for questions, feedback, and specialized knowledge, i.e. strategy, operations, etc. I leverage their expertise and experience so it helps a great deal! So while I graduated with one MBA, I really have multiple specialized MBAs via my group of amazing friends.